[Sativa]

It started with a gun shot and ended with 25 marijuana plants being seized from a closet.

Richard Kyle Krostjens, 29, shot off a pinky finger last week while showing a friend his .40-caliber handgun, police said. The friend then drove Krostjens to a nearby police station, where an ambulance took him to the hospital.

At Sentara Norfolk General, detectives asked Krostjens whether they could search his house for the gun - standard procedure after any shooting.

"He said, 'I'd rather you not,' " said Lt. Debbie George, police department spokeswoman.

The detectives got a search warrant, entered the house, found the gun, noticed a strange smell and tipped off department drug investigators. They got a second warrant and found a small but elaborate pot-growing operation in two closets, police said.

"When they called this in, it was a blessing," said Kevin Dodson, a police drug investigator who searched the house.

Investigators estimated the value of the pot at $25,000, following the Drug Enforcement Administration guideline of $1,000 per plant.

They also found books with titles such as "Marijuana Success Indoors " and "Easy Marijuana Gardening," and the May issue of High Times, a magazine devoted to pot culture.

Krostjens has been charged with recklessly discharging a firearm. Marijuana-growing charges are pending following completion of the investigation.



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Source: HamptonRoads.com
Author: AARON APPLEGATE
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Website: Accidental gun shot leads to Suffolk marijuana bust