Suspected Petaluma hash oil house condemned

The pungent scent of marijuana wafted through an east Petaluma neighborhood Monday afternoon, emanating from a condemned Lombardi Avenue home where police last month discovered evidence of cannabis cultivation and a hash oil lab.

A series of arrests on Friday marked the latest chapter for the home that has in recent months become a magnet for police activity, in contrast to the otherwise sleepy 1200 block of Lombardi Avenue.

On June 5, police responded to reports of potential prostitution at the house, Sgt. Rick Cox said. When officers arrived, they found that an occupant was on probation, allowing police to search the residence, Cox said.

Though no signs of prostitution were found, police discovered a cache of marijuana plants, evidence of a hash oil lab, and numerous code violations, including accumulated junk and improper wiring and fixtures, according to city records.

Photos taken June 5 show apparent squalid conditions, with trash strewn inside the house, kitchen appliances piled up near a neighbor’s fence line, discarded butane canisters and a large room filled with spindly marijuana plants.

The house was deemed unsafe to occupy and residents were required to move out.

“There needs to be a new furnace, new electrical, a new water heater, probably a new kitchen,” Code Enforcement Officer Joe Garcia said. “The house has been worn down pretty well.”

Police had previously fielded calls about abandoned vehicles, unwanted guests and suspicious circumstances at the home beginning in September, but officers were unaware of the illegal drug operation, Cox said. It’s unclear how long the cultivation and hash oil production had been ongoing, Garcia said.

In the past year, 13 arrests have been made at the property, according data from the agency.

After the home was condemned, police responded to numerous calls from neighbors concerned about suspicious activity, including a Friday morning report that led to the arrest of four occupants, Cox said.

Around 9 a.m., officers found five people inside the home in violation of the city’s order barring occupancy. Cox said officers found evidence of drug use around the home, and four people were arrested, including homeowners Richard and Michelle Brunal.

Tiara Petersen, a 29-year-old who also lived in the home, was found unconscious in the attic’s crawl space. She was believed to be under the influence of drugs and was transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital before she was cited for entering the house illegally.

Though remnants of the marijuana grow remained, police found no evidence of hash oil or drug sales, Cox said. Police will continue to monitor the home, which is now boarded up as a result of an ongoing battle in bankruptcy court, according to records from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

“We’re stepping up patrols in that area,” Cox said.

In 2015, Richard Brunal filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and in the following months, he refused to allow court appointed bankruptcy trustee Linda Green to market or showcase the property, according to a complaint. After “much resistance and zero cooperation,” a judge granted a motion for the property to be turned over to Green to facilitate a sale, and an arrest warrant was issued for Richard Brunal, according to court records.

Michelle Brunal continued to block access to the property, according to the complaint. A judge issued an order for the couple to vacate the home, though the complaint alleges that Richard Brunal “continually broke into the property, damaging doors” and stealing items such as the hot water heater and other fixtures.

The couple also attempted to sell the home, according to the complaint.

Green, a Santa Rosa-based bankruptcy attorney, declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. The home is now in contract for sale, with a $505,000 purchase price, according to Green and court records.

Garcia, the city’s code enforcement officer, said the officials aren’t focused on collecting fees for the violations, but instead aim to pave the way for a speedy sale.

“We’re not going after penalties and fees at this time because the property is going to be transferred,” he said. “The new owners are going to have to spend quite a bit of money just to clean this property up.”

Michelle and Richard Brunal could not be reached for comment.

One neighbor, who has lived in the area for decades, described a pattern of nefarious activity that raised concern in recent months.

“It put a fear into me about what could possibly happen,” said the neighbor, who declined to be named fearing reprisals.

Several other neighbors declined to comment.

Police have had multiple contacts with the Brunals in the past, Cox said. Last July, the Petaluma City Council voted to approve a special assessment lien on a Carob Court home also owned by the Brunals for $3,520 in unpaid fines stemming from a lack of trash service. The fines have since been paid and the home has been sold, Garcia said.

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com.)