California Highway Patrol officers serving search and arrest warrants at a home in Santa Cruz on Wednesday uncovered a hash oil laboratory, according to the CHP.
The warrants stemmed from an incident on Dec. 28 when the resident of the home, 51-year-old William Kingsland, allegedly evaded authorities on his motorcycle.
On that day, a CHP officer spotted a man riding south on Mission Street near King Street on a Harley Davidson motorcycle carrying a rear passenger, according to the CHP.
When the officer attempted to pull over the motorcyclist, he failed to yield and instead accelerated away, CHP officials said.
At one point, the passenger was ejected from the bike and tried to run away but was captured by the officer. The passenger was identified as 23-year-old Bobbie Pena, who was arrested on suspicion of evading an officer and public intoxication, CHP officials said.
Investigators were later able to identify the motorcyclist as Kingsland, and obtained a warrant for his arrest and a search warrant for his home in the 100 block of Forest Avenue, according to the CHP.
Officers from the CHP's Santa Cruz office and the investigative services unit of its Coastal Division, along with members of the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Task Force, went to the home on Wednesday and arrested Kingsland.
At the residence, they found multiple marijuana plants and a lab where butane is used to convert marijuana into hash oil, the CHP said.
Kingsland was arrested on suspicion of felony operating a clandestine drug lab, felony evading an officer and misdemeanor failure to appear in court, according to the CHP.
Pena, who was at the home when the warrants were served, was arrested again, this time on suspicion of operating a clandestine drug lab, the CHP said.
Kingland's Harley Davidson was found at his home, according to the CHP.
Copyright © 2014 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
