Firefighters work on a second-alarm fire at 648 Foundry Street in West Pittston on Friday morning.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
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WEST PITTSTON — A search warrant was obtained for a Foundry Street home damaged by fire Friday morning after it was discovered that the homeowner had allegedly been growing marijuana plants in the home.
The warrant, dated Feb. 4, 2022 and signed by Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz, requested permission to search the residence at 846 Foundry St. for “any and all equipment to manufacture any narcotics, drug paraphernalia including but not limited to: needles, pipes, bags and other items used to consume or transport illegal drugs,” along with U.S. currency, cell phones, papers and ledgers.
The request for a warrant stems from a Friday morning fire that broke out inside the home, with occupant Wayne Tilley and his grandson were able to escape the blaze without injury.
According to the warrant’s affiant, a patrolman from the West Pittston Police Department, he was onscene at the fire Friday morning and noticed Tilley and his grandson exiting the house through a side door. The patrolman entered the home through the side door to make sure that there was no one else inside the residence.
The door led to the grandson’s room, where the officer identified a jar with a small amount of suspected marijuana and two large bongs.
The officer exited the residence as first responders arrived to fight the fire, which was discovered to be coming from the attic area of the house.
After the fire was extinguished, the officer was summoned back into the residence by West Pittston fire chief John Hood, according to the warrant.
In a room located at the rear of the residence, a blackout curtain was discovered blocking the room’s only window. A heat lamp was spotted aiming down into a clear bin, with five suspected marijuana plants growing inside the bin, according to the warrant.
The officer also spotted a fish tank next to the bin with chemicals inside believed to be used to grow marijuana.
The warrant also noted that “persons associated with this address are known to be involved in illicit drugs and arson.” Court records indicate that Tilley, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of use/possession of drug paraphernalia in October of 2020, and had been arrested several other times for various misdemeanor offenses.
The fire is still being investigated by a state police fire marshal, according to Hood. No determination has been made yet as to the cause of the blaze.