September 2, 2008
Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

MARIJUANA GROWING OPERATION FOUND IN DEBARY  

The strong smell of marijuana coming from a house in DeBary prompted a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy to call in narcotics agents to investigate Monday morning. After obtaining a search warrant, the agents found 40 marijuana plants growing in the home along with bags of the drug in a freezer. Two men and a woman in the home were subsequently arrested. Two children were also found in the house, resulting in some of the defendants facing child abuse charges in addition to their drug related ones.  

The drug seizure was initiated by a patrol deputy who was investigating a report of some bicycles abandoned near the intersection of Sepp Drive and Sunrise Boulevard. As he canvassed the neighborhood to see if he could identify who the bicycles belonged to he saw several similar bikes in the yard of 225 DeBary Drive. The deputy knocked on the front door, but got no answer. What he did get was a strong smell of marijuana wafting out of the house. He then checked an open window and smelled the marijuana again. His attempts to get someone inside to answer him, though, were unsuccessful. He then requested that investigators from the West Volusia Narcotics Task Force respond.  

The investigators obtained a search warrant signed by Circuit Court Judge James R. Clayton and then went into the house at about 1 p.m. Forty plants were discovered growing in a utility room under specialized grow lights and other cultivation materials. Investigators also found 1,768 grams of marijuana stored in a freezer. The approximate value of the plants and frozen drugs is $42,000. Investigators also found a 17-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl in the house.  

Wayne Lee Miller, 20, was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

Thomas Fred Miller, 58, was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, cultivation of marijuana with children present, child abuse, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

Kathryn Louise Miller, 41, was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, cultivation of marijuana with children present, and child abuse.  

The three were booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach .