Pit Bull Leads Deputies to 'Drug House'

A pit bull with a penchant for biting inadvertently put Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies on the trail of a “drug house’ over the weekend.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a dog bite call at 1105 Teakwood Ave. in the Lake Magdalene area Sunday just before 1 p.m. When they arrived, they found a 63-year-old woman sitting outside the home with numerous lacerations and bite marks. It seems a 1 ½-year-old pit bull had escaped from inside the home, biting the woman.

As deputies were investigating the bite, they happened to notice the smell of marijuana coming from inside the home. Two men who live at the address cooperated with the dog bite investigation, an email from the sheriff’s office stated, but became “non-compliant” when asked if deputies could search the home.

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Undaunted, deputies returned a short while later with a search warrant in hand. Once inside, they found of 314.7 grams of marijuana, 46.6 grams of mushrooms, 20 grams of amphetamines and a juvenile marijuana plant, the email said. Most of the narcotics were found inside a safe in one of the bedrooms.

The sheriff’s office described the property as a “drug house,” in its email to media.

Michael Portelli, 24, who lives at the Teakwood Avenue address, was charged with possession of marijuana. Jonathan Cintron, 22, who also lives at the home, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and trafficking in amphetamines.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cristal Bermudez Nunez said the dog was taken into county custody. It is unclear what will happen to the animal at this time.

The woman, who Patch is not identifying, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She was not charged, Bermudez Nunez said, as she “didn’t do anything wrong.”

Photo of Jonathan Cintron and Michael Portelli courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office