Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts

Shelley Lubben's Ranch Home Burns to the Ground; Drug Lab Explosion Suspected Cause

Springville, Calif. -- At approximately 5:00 a.m. on Friday, March 16, 2018, an explosion and fireball ripped through the ranch home of disgraced anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben, leaving its residential structures leveled and engulfed in flames.

Lubben, 49, who has resided at the so-called "Lubben Ranch" since 2015, was home at the time, but escaped without serious injury.

The blast came from the house with blacked-out windows connected to Lubben's. Two residents, a man and infant son, were airlifted from 45117 Balch Park Road near Highway 190 to a local hospital for treatment of severe burn injuries. The man's pregnant wife was listed as in "fair condition".

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office states that due to "the suspicious nature of the fire", detectives from the Marijuana Investigation Team were dispatched to the scene. Two butane canisters were discovered, and the suspected cause of the fire, still officially under investigation by the Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (TAGNET), is a drug lab explosion.

This detached garage is the only structure left standing

Last June, Lubben transferred the property to Sirjoe Carmona, a convicted drug offender from Visalia and Ivanhoe, Calif., but Lubben remained on the parcel as a tenant.  Rumors in Springville have been rampant for some time that marijuana was being cultivated illegally at the ranch.

The property was also placed back on the market recently.

Here are the incredible BEFORE and AFTER PHOTOS of Lubben's home



Shelley Lubben's Ranch Home Burns to the Ground; Drug Lab Explosion Suspected Cause
Only smoldering rubble remains of Shelley Lubben's home and belongings

Lubben's residence was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, and they had to take a defensive position to keep the flames from spreading into the heavily wooded area.

Shelley Lubben has reportedly lost everything but her jeep, iPhone, and the pajamas she was wearing at the time of the blaze.

In the aftermath of the fire, multiple sources report, Shelley Lubben has confirmed that a drug lab was the cause of the disastrous blaze. 

However she also claimed that despite the owner's history of running an illegal grow operation, and the building's blacked-out windows, she had no idea whatsoever that a dangerous drug lab was operating yards from her bedroom until it exploded early Friday morning.

It remains to be seen whether the injured honey oil lab operators will implicate Lubben.



Video by Cristina Davies, ABC30

The Fresno Bee reports that Joe Rosa, a spokesman for the Tulare County Fire Department, said both fire and Tulare County Sheriff's investigators are on scene.
According to sheriff's spokeswoman Ashley Ritchie, butane canisters were found in the home, so authorities were investigating it as a place where a honey-oil lab might have been set up. Ritchie said detectives were working to get a search warrant so they could go inside the residence. 
Honey oil is manufactured with the used of butane, and powerful explosions can result when fumes from the gas come in contact with a flame source, such as a hot water heater. 
Authorities describe the injured persons at the home when the fire broke out as a 36-year-old male, listed in critical condition; his pregnant 25-year-old wife, in fair condition; and their 15-month-old baby boy, also in critical condition.

The three were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Fresno for treatment. The parents may face child endangerment charges, reports CBS47 News/YouCentralValley.com:



"The butane containers definitely indicate a honey oil lab," said Tulare Sheriff's Ashley Ritchie.


Anyone with more information regarding this investigation or a possible location of the suspect is urged to contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at 1-800-808-0488 or anonymously at tcso@tipnow.com or by text or voicemail at 559-725-4194.


Honey oil

A butane hash "chef" packs a pipe with marijuana trimmings that will be used to make butane hash. (Genaro Molina / L.A. Times) 

Butane honey oil, or BHO, is a potent form of hashish (or hash), with a very high THC level.  


Since January 1, 2018, it is legal in California for adults age 21 and older to use, and possess up to eight (8) grams of, hashish, a.k.a. concentrated cannabis. However, possessing more than eight grams of concentrated cannabis is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six (6) months in county jail. 


Selling hashish is only legal in California if one possesses a state license to do so. Without such a license, possessing hashish with the intent to sell it is a crime, as is unlawfully selling it or transporting it for sale. 

The unlawful production of more than eight (8) grams of hashish is likewise a crime in California, and the penalty is up to six months in county jail under Health & Safety Code 11358 - cultivation of marijuana.


If one uses a toxic chemical -- such as butane -- to produce the cannabis resin, one may also be found guilty of chemical extraction of a controlled substance and face a fine of up to $50,000 and three, five or seven years in state prison.
>Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article205528709.html#storylink=cpy



The flames

The house fire represents just the latest dramatic event in the scandal-plagued life of Shelley Lubben.

Born Shelley Lynn Moore in Pasadena, Calif. in 1968, Lubben struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse since her teens, and often found herself in trouble with the law.  In 1986, at age 18, she was asked to leave home by her long-suffering parents, and found work as a stripper, prostitute and small-time con artist in the Los Angeles area.  Lubben has proudly referred to herself as a "hustler" and "professional liar" who could talk her way out of anything.

In 1988, she gave birth to a daughter she says was conceived via a prostitution act.

An admitted attention seeker, Lubben failed in her attempt to launch an acting career, then dabbled in pornography from 1993 - 94.




When porn stardom eluded her, and her drug and alcohol use spiraled out of control, she married Garrett Lubben.

In 2004, Lubben re-emerged as a Christian anti-porn/anti-sex work crusader, complete with a set of horror stories about her short time in the adult business that no one -- even the people she knew at the time -- had ever heard before. Similarly, her tales about her early life were eventually contradicted by evidence provided by family.

In 2008, she and Garrett founded Pink Cross Foundation, "a faith-based public charity dedicated to reaching out to adult industry workers offering emotional, financial and transitional support."

However PCF never yielded a roster of success stories; instead, the vast majority of the women who associated with Lubben later described her as a manipulator and abuser who was addled by wine and prescription pills, and who misused funds donated to help the women in her care.

Lubben surrounded herself with bizarre individuals with claims that were provably false, and anti-porn evangelists such as Donny Pauling, who was later unmasked as a serial child molester.


Shelley Lubben and Donny Pauling

Lubben also practiced her own strange and fanatical version of Christianity. She would later assert that Pink Cross Foundation was the true church.



She claimed to be the reincarnation of the Prophet Elijah, and allowed herself to be filmed praying with an 8-foot staff.



A lightning rod for criticism

On April 26, 2011, the married anti-porn activist attended a Porn Star Karaoke event in Burbank, Cailf., and was photographed smiling while having her surgically-enhanced breast signed by hirsute porn star Ron Jeremy outside the bar's toilet.




Lubben's outrageous behavior, obsessive self-promotion as an anti-porn advocate, trips to rehab centers and psych wards, and half-hearted attempts at therapy took a toll on her marriage and family.

In 2015, Garrett and Shelley placed their Bakersfield, Calif. McMansion up for sale and Shelley moved out to the country -- to Springville -- while Garrett remained in Bakersfield so that the couple's youngest daughter wouldn't have to change schools. 

Garrett's hope was that the new surroundings would help Shelley cut back on her immense daily alcohol and prescription drug consumption. However, when he came to visit, he found the residence littered with empty wine bottles, and additional pill containers. 


On Oct. 13, 2015, Garrett filed for a legal separation in Bakersfield. 

The following month, Shelley admitted to a months-long extra-marital affair with ranch employee Joe Valley.

On Christmas Eve 2015, she had Valley arrested on charges of rape and domestic battery, but later withdrew the rape allegation.

Just after the new year, with her face still swollen, Lubben announced the shuttering of Pink Cross Foundation.

On March 14, 2016 Garrett amended his petition to Dissolution of Marriage (divorce). 

Approximately one week after Garrett blocked calls and texts (which had vacillated between the two running themes of "let's work it out and be together" and "I'm gonna get you and make you pay!"), a disgruntled Shelley approached the Tulare Sheriffs on May 5, 2016, with an accusation that Garrett had attempted to bribe her.  Her "evidence" of felony bribery was a couple of iPhone video clips directed and filmed by Shelley on Halloween 2015 as part of the couple's separation/divorce negotiations.

However, in February 2017, following hysterical testimony from ShelleyJudge Michael B. Sheltzer ruled that the video clips did NOT show an attempt to bribe Mrs. Lubben and all charges were dismissed.



In July 2016, Garrett Lubben filed for a restraining order in Bakersfield, Calif. to protect himself and his children from Shelley.


All domestic violence charges against Garrett Lubben were dropped last month.

Lubben also filed multiple domestic violence charges against Joe Valley, who has spent every birthday in jail since becoming involved with Shelley Lubben.

Following each release, Valley moved back in to the Lubben Ranch. 

But in November of last year, he was arrested on the property after allegedly striking and killing a cyclist on the way home to the ranch, while intoxicated. 

Valley is currently being held on $145,000 bail as he awaits trial for Gross Vehicular Manslaughter while Intoxicated, and fleeing the scene of the hit-and-run collision.

He is expected to plead guilty in Tulare County Superior Court on March 20. Valley faces 11 years in state prison.



New 'Lubben Ranch' Owner Was Arrested for Running Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

Springville, Calif. -- The web of intrigue surrounding disgraced anti-porn crusader and minister Shelley Lubben continues to grow, with suspicions that her Springville, California 'Lubben Ranch' may have become a site for marijuana cultivation.


New 'Lubben Ranch' Owner Was Arrested for Running an Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation
Shelley Lubben's Balch Park Road residence

In May 2015, Shelley's then-husband, Garrett, purchased the 598,000 sq. ft. property on Balch Park Road.  Shelley soon began an affair with a worker at the ranch, Joe Valley, while her husband was away. Garrett later filed for divorce and the property was deeded to Shelley in July 2016. 

With creditors snapping at her heels, she immediately began looking for a buyer.


Discover Card filed suit against Shelley Lubben in Porterville in 2017
She eventually found Sirjoe Carmona, 27, of Visalia and Ivanhoe, California. In June of 2017, he purchased the Springville property from Shelley Lubben for $100,000 down and a $200,000 promissory note.




Lubben and Joe Valley stayed on as tenants, and Valley was arrested Nov. 7 after police say he ran down a cyclist on the way home while under the influence of alcohol. He is currently in a Visalia jailhouse awaiting trial.

Lubben's new landlord, Sirjoe Carmona has an interesting background, which includes a farm labor contracting business, and a 2014 arrest in Visalia for possession of a large quantity of marijuana for sales, and cultivation of marijuana. 70 lbs. of processed marijuana was confiscated along with 233 plants.



The marijuana grow operation was located at his residence, 1314 N. Divisadero in Visalia.


Suspicion



Recently, Tulare County has sought to inspect his property, going so far as to file for an abatement warrant.





Presumably the authorities expect to find something there.

Springville and nearby Porterville residents say they had suspected that the Lubben Ranch property on Balch Park Road was being used to grow marijuana long before Lubben sold it.

Interestingly, Shelley's ex-husband, Garrett, confirms that she acquired a medical marijuana card, after years of publicly decrying the smoking of cannabis.


TAG, you're it


Illegal marijuana grow sites have plagued the Springville area for some time. 

In July 2017, Detectives with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office TAGNET (Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team) Unit conducted overflights in the Springville mountain area for illegal clandestine marijuana grow sites.

During the overflight, Detectives located large clandestine marijuana grow sites in the Wishon and Cabbage Head area above Springville.

On August 15, Detectives with the TAGNET Unit conducted an operation to eradicate the illegal marijuana grow site with the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service and CAMP Task Force.

While eradicating the illegal grow sites, Detectives located numerous chemicals, a large amount of trash and the disruption of the natural waterways in the area. Detectives also located a camp site, however; they were unable to locate any information on the identity of the suspect(s) responsible for the illegal marijuana grow.

During the operation, 27,177 marijuana plants were eradicated and destroyed.

Will Tulare County soon find another grow operation in Springville?

The investigation into illegal marijuana grow sites is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 733-6218 or they can remain anonymous by calling TIPNOW at (559) 725-4194 or send an email to tcso@tipnow.com.

Shelley Lubben Served With Restraining Order To Protect Ex-Husband and Daughters

The latest twist in the Shelley Lubben saga finds the assault rifle-toting nut job reunited with boy-toy Joseph "Homeless Joe" Valley at the "Lubben Ranch" property she is trying to unload, and relying on her trusty California Medical Marijuana card (despite having condemned its use all these years), but more estranged than ever from her own family.



As usual Lubben has overstepped -- first, she informed Garrett of her new love affair, then after Garrett tried to make a clean break by giving her everything in Springville in the divorce -- the house, property, cars, etc, totaling more than a half million dollars in worth (in lieu of spousal support) -- Lubben trumped up a bribery charge against Garrett, in addition to the Domestic Violence and Resisting Arrest charges that were piled on him last year at the ranch, after he knew about Joe, but prior to their divorce.

Alone

It seems Shelley Lubben has been engaging a pattern of harassment against Garrett and their daughters, so Garrett asked for and received a Temporary Restraining Order from a Bakersfield court. The Order, which will be published here as soon as it arrives, is noted in the Lubben vs Lubben divorce file:



FLDV stands for the Faith Leaders in Domestic Violent program, and may indicate that the couple sought counseling at some point for Shelley's issues.

PET is traditionally a reference to stalking activity, and CLETS stands for the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System, the means by which this information was transmitted.

Along with the TRO, Shelley has been served with a Notice to Appear in Bakersfield before Judge Stephen D. Schuett at the court's Metropolitan Division, located at 3131 Arrow St, Bakersfield, CA 93308 -- just next door to one of Shelley's favorite Bakersfield eateries, Buck Owens' Crystal Palace.

The tables have turned, and now everything Garrett has been accused of is being put back on Shelley.

Incidentally, Shelley reportedly placed another 911 call regarding Homeless Joe recently, but they have been reunited for at least the last month or so, and they remain living together at the Springville marijuana pit known as the Lubben Ranch.

Lubben vs Lubben, it would appear, has only just begun.