REDMOND, OR -- Two Redmond men face drug charges after the search of a property northwest of town. Following a long-term investigation, detectives with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Illegal Marijuana Market Team arrested 68-year-old Robert Thibodeau and 37-year-old Michael Howard at a 40-acre rural property on Yucca Avenue last week.

During the search, they seized more than 400 pot plants, two guns and a large amount of cash. Plants were growing inside a 4,700 square foot shop, where deputies also found unpermitted electrical hazards, black mold and leaking septic. 

While on-scene, detectives say Redmond Firefighters responded after large compost piles of marijuana plants ignited in high winds.