14 people arrested at 'Circus House' in Centralia, WA
14 people arrested in Centralia ?circus house? drug bust
Centralia Police arrested 14 people this week for what they are calling an illegal weed growing operation out of a home?a place the community calls the ?Circus House.?
CENTRALIA, Wash. - More than a dozen people were arrested on Monday morning at a notorious house in Centralia, Washington as several law enforcement agencies teamed up to serve a warrant.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) arrested 14 people at a property known as the "Clown House" by neighbors who have reported numerous instances of criminal activity at the residence over the past decade, according to Centralia Police.
Centralia "Circus House"
FOX 13's AJ Janavel spoke with police and people who lived at the house.
"It’s a little unfair. I think the story is so one-sided. It made me cry almost just to read it. It made me look pretty bad," said resident Torii Campbell. She takes care of some of the other tenants.
She says owners of the house rent to people who might be homeless otherwise.
Timeline:
The home on East Chestnut Street in Centralia has long been known to law enforcement for instances of assaults, drug overdoses, drug activity and several instances of pedestrians being hit by trains in the immediate area.
"That address has generated many calls either for the people that are living there or the people who are visiting them," said Commander Dave Clary with Centralia Police.
Last week, CPD reported that community members called police about spotting marijuana plants on the site. This gave the JNET team reason to obtain and serve a search warrant.
Once there, officers and deputies from multiple agencies say they found the following at the residence:
- 10 large potted marijuana plants
- 15 hanging plants
- Three pounds of processed marijuana
- Marijuana growing equipment, packaging and scales
- Meth and fentanyl
- Various other drug paraphernalia
"We apologize for any unsavory things that are happening around here. We’re trying really, really hard to get this cleared up and get these people to move on and get this to be a normal house and take away ‘Circus House’ from it. We don’t want that anymore. We’re sorry about yesterday, you know, that you had to see police presence here for that long and what was going on," Campbell continued.
What's next:
The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests or charges are expected as law enforcement officials continue processing evidence.
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