Marijuana seized at rental house owned by Olympia City councilman

A rental house owned by Olympia City Councilman Steve Langer was raided last week by the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force.

Capt. Dave Johnson told The Olympian that agents seized more than 165 marijuana plants and 5 pounds of processed marijuana Oct. 6 at the property after receiving a complaint.

Two warrants were served, but no arrests were made. The case has been forwarded to the Thurston County Prosecutors Office to determine whether the suspects will be charged, Johnson said.

“This is a typical type of complaint that we get,” said Johnson, noting that there was an overpowering odor of marijuana at the property. “The people were very cooperative.”

The property is in the 5200 block of Sleater-Kinney Road in unincorporated Thurston County. The 1,200-square-foot house cannot be seen from Sleater-Kinney, but sits at the end of a long gravel driveway with a view of Henderson Inlet.

The marijuana was being grown in a pair of outdoor greenhouses, Johnson said. The greenhouses are visible from the gravel road.

Langer confirmed that the house was raided, but said he learned about it from a neighbor and has yet to hear from law enforcement.

Langer told The Olympian he had visited the house and tenants about three weeks before the raid. At that time, he had seen “a few” marijuana plants, but assumed the plants were legal under the state’s medical marijuana laws.

The tenants have lived at the house for about a year without any problems, he said.

“That’s not what I want for my property. I was angry when I found out what happened,” Langer told The Olympian. “That’s not acceptable.”

Reports of the raid are not subject to public disclosure because the case is part of an open investigation and no charges have been filed. Langer, who said he lived on the property from 1984-91, has not determined whether he will take any action against the tenants.

“It’s one of those things that a landlord hopes will never happen to them, especially someone like me who takes pride in making sure the place is taken care of,” Langer said. “The main thing I’ve had trouble with concerning those renters is keeping the place clean.”

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Marijuana seized at rental house owned by Olympia City councilman."