Secret Marijuana Grow Operation Was In Girlfriend's House: Police

CALEDONIA, WI — An Oak Creek man has been arrested and charged after police say he ran a marijuana grow operation in his ex-girlfriend's house - without the girlfriend knowing.

Esteban Romero-Aviles, 32, Oak Creek, has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and maintaining a drug trafficking place. He could face nearly four years in prison if he is convicted.

According to police, officers responded to a riverside ranch home in a quiet neighborhood on the 10300 block of Root River Drive in Caledonia just before 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 on a report of an apparent dispute between Romero-Aviles and his ex-girlfriend at the ex-girlfriend's house.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Racine County, police were called to the house because the ex-girlfriend had just broken up with Romero-Aviles and the woman was concerned that he would hurt her after he shouted at her and pushed her, police said.

When police arrived, the woman said that Romero-Aviles would "control every part of her life" and restricted her from going into parts of her own house, including locking her out of the basement and watching over her for hours to make sure she didn't go anywhere, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, it was during their investigation that they found an entire marijuana grow operation in the home's basement. Officers reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana coming from the basement as well as seeing a collapsed grow tent, several fans, filters, ductwork, growing supplies, paraphernalia and other items promoting the cultivation of marijuana.

The criminal complaint also documented more grow operation supplies in the home's garage including high-intensity light ballasts, expandable aluminum ductwork, multiple fans and growing supplies piled in a haphazard manner in the garage.

The criminal complaint stated that it required a pickup truck for police to transport all of the evidence to the police department. Police said it was clear that plants had been growing in the basement, but were clearly harvested.

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