Des Plaines man faces drug charge in DuPage County
A Des Plaines man is facing a felony drug charge after firefighters discovered a marijuana growing operation while extinguishing a house fire in Glen Ellyn, authorities said Monday.
Timothy O'Brien, 46, of 491 Ironwood Drive, has been charged with one count of conspiring to manufacture and deliver cannabis, records show.
Authorities said the charges stem from a Nov. 23 house fire in Glen Ellyn in which firefighters found about 14 pounds of marijuana being grown inside a locked basement.
O'Brien “was alleged to have basically rented space in the house” at 120 S. Park Blvd., Deputy Police Chief Bill Holmer.
The marijuana plants found in the basement had been growing for some time and were of decent size, Holmer said. Authorities also discovered scales, lamps and other items found in a typical grow operation.
The suspect was not at the house at the time of the fire about 4:30 p.m. Nov. 23. Some children were in the residence at the time, Holmer said.
O'Brien was booked Sunday at the DuPage County jail after another police agency picked him up on an arrest warrant. He was being held Monday at the jail on $300,000 bail.
O'Brien said in bond court that he's living with a neighbor and working as a cashier at a big-box retail store.