Marijuana plants, stolen car found in southeast Fresno backyard

A man is in custody Friday night after police found a large marijuana cultivation site and a stolen car in the backyard of a southeast Fresno apartment, Fresno police Sgt. Mike Manfredi said.

Police said they conducted a search Friday evening in the 4500 block of East Woodward Avenue after receiving numerous calls from neighbors about the smell. They found three men tending to almost 100 plants in the backyard. The plants were getting ready to be harvested, Manfredi said.

Police arrested Kimlay Kolamnen, 56, who identified himself as the resident of the apartment and owner of the plants. The two other men, who indicated they were visitors, were not cited, although one had an immigration hold.

Manfredi said that Kolamnen was not only responsible for the criminal charge but could also be charged $1,000 per plant.

Police are still investigating the stolen car that was found, which was being stripped out.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Marijuana plants, stolen car found in southeast Fresno backyard."