Three arrested in Pinellas in statewide marijuana grow house crackdown

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has arrested three people in Dunedin and St. Petersburg as part of a statewide crackdown on marijuana grow houses dubbed "Operation Eagle Claw."

Bruce Kleinknight, 50, and Katrina Lynn Kleinknight, 38, were arrested last week at 800 Main St., Lot 393, in Dunedin on charges of cultivating marijuana.

James Dillashaw, 60, was arrested at 1878 74th Ave. N in St. Petersburg on a charge of manufacturing marijuana.

Authorities said they learned about the grow houses last month, then obtained search warrants and went through the homes last Wednesday morning.

In St. Petersburg, detectives served the first search warrant at 8:25 a.m. and say they found 49 marijuana plants and 2 pounds of the harvested plant in the garage. Dillashaw was then arrested.

Then at 9:45 a.m., detectives visited the Dunedin home, where they say they found two grow rooms containing 27 plants and 8 ounces of harvested marijuana. The Klein- knights were then arrested.

The Kleinknights were released from the Pinellas County jail last week after each posted $5,000 bail. Dillashaw was released after posting $10,000 bail.