A man unfamiliar with how grow lights should be set up ended up catching his house on fire last week, according to court records obtained Monday.
Tyler Scott Snyder, 27, told police he started growing marijuana in his basement a few months ago, but had never before hooked up growing equipment, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed against him. As it turns out, the “careless nature of how all of the equipment was wired together and operating” caused an electrical fire, that alerted police to his growing operation and damaged his home, displacing six residents.
Northern York County Regional police responded to the 100 block of North Alpine Drive in Jackson Township around 4:40 a.m. Firefighters initially saw smoke outside the home, but soon discovered flames in the basement.
After putting out the fire, investigators found two charred UV lights, six marijuana plants and eight smaller starter plants that were damaged from the fire and fire suppression efforts, loose marijuana and packaging, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Snyder told police that he had never hooked up growing equipment and didn’t know what he was doing, police said.
He said the marijuana was for personal use and no one else in the home was involved in growing the plants, according to police.
Four adults and two children were in the home at the time of the fire, police said.
Snyder is charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children, felony possession with the intent to deliver and six misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, according to online court records.
Snyder was arraigned Friday morning and released on $15,000 unsecured bail.
He is scheduled to appear in front of Magisterial District Judge Thomas Reily on January 29.
Court records filed against a 27-year-old man charging him with 3 felonies provided new details about the fire Friday in York County that displaced 6 residents. Read More
