Pubdate: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 Source: Oakland Tribune (CA) Copyright: 1999 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers Contact: 66 Jack London Sq., Oakland, CA 94607 Feedback: http://www.newschoice.com/asp-bin/feedback.asp?PUID486 Website: http://www.newschoice.com/newspapers/alameda/tribune/ EX-JUDGE'S SON FACES POT CULTIVATION CHARGES OAKLAND -- the son of a retired Berkeley judge surrendered to authorities Wednesday to face charges he operated an indoor pot farm near Broadway's Auto Row. Stephen M. Barsotti was booked in the Oakland City Jail on $500.000 bail. arraigned as soon as today on charges of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana. His attorney. Penny Cooper, said she had been negotiating his surrender for the past few days. but had no comment on the allegations. Barsotti whose whereabouts had not been known was charged about two weeks ago by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. While hunting for Barsotti police searched his Emeryville home and another location. They seized more marijuana at one of the locations, sources said. Barsotti was the leaseholder on the two-story property Oh the 400 block of 23rd Street. Responding to an alarm at that location, police found a marijuana factory inside with more than 1.000 plants and about 400 pounds of marijuana, valued at $1.4 million, according to officers. There were also about a dozen high-powered lamps. bags of dried marijuana allegedly ready for sale and other paraphernalia. officers said. Officers said they found six rooms. Including a living space. which was crammed with plants. growing materials or packaged drugs. Some of the dried plants were in green plastic containers. Four of the rooms contained plants. some as tall a 4 feet. Another room was reportedly used as a drying area and police found half-foot-long buds drying on clotheslines, according to police. Another room apparently was used as a packaging area where officers found pounds of the drug ready for sale, police said, The seized plants were growing in pots of all sizes, front small planters holding seedlings to 4-foot-wide industrial-size barrels, police said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake