Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jan 2016
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

YUBA DEPUTY FACING PENNSYLVANIA POT CHARGES ARRESTED ON BUTTE WEAPONS CHARGES

The Yuba County drug agent arrested last month in Pennsylvania, 
allegedly with almost 250 pounds of marijuana, was arrested Thursday 
morning by Butte County deputies on weapons charges.

Christopher Mark Heath, a Yuba County Sheriff's Office deputy 
assigned to the Yuba-Sutter Narcotics Task Force (NET-5), was 
arrested after search warrants were served at five locations in Butte County.

Warrants were served by the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force at 
Heath's residence and those of his co-defendants in Pennsylvania, 
Tyler Long and Ryan Falsone. A Bangor winery operated by Heath and 
his wife, Tatum Heath, was also raided, as was the residence of Ramona Long.

According to a press release, two illegal assault rifles connected to 
Christopher and Tatum Heath were located. Detectives obtained arrest 
warrants for the pair and they were booked into the Butte County Jail 
on the felony charges of unlawful possession of assault weapons.

His bail was set at $1 million, enhanced because he was out on bail 
from York County, Pennsylvania at the time of his arrest. Her bail 
was put at $15,000, and she posted bond and has been released.

At the home of Ramona Long, authorities say they found 132 pounds of 
processed marijuana. She was arrested on charges of cultivation and 
possession of marijuana for sale, and booked into the Butte County 
Jail with bail set at $100,000. She subsequently posted bond and was released.

Anyone with information can call the Butte County Sheriff's Office 
felony investigations unit at 538-7671.

Christopher Heath, Tyler Long and Falsone have a court date in 
Pennsylvania next month.

They were arrested Dec. 29, allegedly trying to deliver 247 pounds of 
marijuana they had brought from California. The source of the pot, 
valued at $2 million, has yet to be determined.

Heath was the lead investigator on 62 cases during his three years 
with NET-5, and those cases are being reviewed to see if they are still viable.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom