Crime & Safety

House Fire Leads to Discovery of Pot Plants Inside Palm Harbor Home, Say Deputies

Kerry Stefon Nichols, 60, is charged with felony manufacturing/cultivation of marijuana. Detectives say pot plants were discovered at Nichols' home when firefighters and deputies responded to a 911 call about a fire on Friday night.

An investigation into reports of smoke at a Palm Harbor home Friday night ended with a felony drug charge and a trip to jail for a man who lived there.

Kerry Stefon Nichols, 60, is charged with felony manufacturing/cultivation of marijuana. 

Pinellas County Sheriff's investigators say around 8:38 p.m. Friday, Palm Harbor Firefighters and deputies responded to a call about smoke coming from a home at 3749 Appleton Ct., which is in the Lake St. George subdivision.

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The fire was caused by food cooking on a stove and was quickly put out. Detectives say Nichols apparently fell asleep while the food was cooking.

While responding to the blaze, firefighters initially suspected there might be a meth lab inside the home, so a haz-mat team was called to search the house. No meth lab was found, however investigators say they found a marijuana growing operation in a back room of the home. About four marijuana plants and grow-op equipment was seized, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokesperson.

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No one was injured during the incident.

Nichols was arrested and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. As of Saturday morning, he had not bonded out. Bond was set at $5,150.

In October, two people who live about a half-mile away from Nichols were arrested on drug charges after a meth lab was allegedly found at their home. 


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