Riverside County Sheriff's personnel received information in September about illegal cultivation of marijuana in a residential neighborhood in Norco. A search warrant was obtained in the investigation.
Deputies from the Norco Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) team and from patrol served the search warrant Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the residence located on the 80 block of Oldenberg Lane in Norco.
Inside the residence, Jeffrey Berner, 45, was arrested for cultivation and possession of marijuana for sales, and for child endangerment; Michelle Berner, 45, was arrested for child endangerment.
Deputies seized 572 marijuana plants inside the residence, 1.3 pounds of processed marijuana and numerous types of firearms, according to the department.
It was also discovered that electricity was being bypassed around the electric meter, causing a fire hazard and netting about $3,000 a month in stolen electricity, according to the department.
The investigation was ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident or similar incidents should contact Deputy Raymond Ghiliotty at the Jurupa Valley Station's Norco Office at (951) 955-2600.
