Murrieta Man Sues Landlord Over Stolen Marijuana Plants

Court records show about $35,000 worth of plants were stolen

JOSH STEINER

Updated 1:30 PM PDT, Wed, Sep 29, 2010 

A Murrieta man is suing his landlord over stolen marijuana crops worth $35,000. Gary Hite said that the break-in was due to the landlord's failure to secure the building after an earlier burglary.

Hite is suing for negligence and breach of contract.

Hite said that a neighboring unit was broken into in May, leaving the door damaged and unlocked.  The landlord, Krista Hundley, apparently examined the damage, however did not do anything further, according to the lawsuit. 

On June 7, burglars entered the damaged unit and smashed through Hite's drywall. 

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"Having torn through the interior wall, the thieves then tore through the premises and stole 35 mature marijuana plants," according to the complaint.

Murrieta police said that Hite's operation was illegal and he had been fined thousands of dollars in various safety violations. 

The Press-Enterprise reported that records said Hite has been renting the building since February and was growing the plants for medicinal purposes.  Hite claimed that 35 plants worth about $1,000 each were stolen, the PE reported.
 

First Published: Sep 29, 2010 11:13 AM PDT