STONY PLAIN, Alta. – A fatality inquiry into the murder of four Mounties by James Roszko got a glimpse on Thursday into a marijuana grow operation on his property in Mayerthorpe, Alta., some 100 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Sgt. Lorne Adamitz, an expert in marijuana grow operations, described the setup as a "highly sophisticated soil grow," set up by someone who knew what they were doing.
"The person was definitely knowledgeable," he said.
Adamitz was part of a specialized RCMP and Edmonton Police Service team that arrived at Roszko’s property shortly after midnight on March 3, 2005, to begin dismantling the operation.
He said the grow operation was divided in three locations in Roszko’s prefabricated Quonset structure and trailer, and was set up with irrigation, ballasts and lighting systems. He said he believes the grow operation was a commercial enterprise, and conservatively could have been worth between $66,000 and $118,00, depending on how it was distributed.
Adamitz said a collection of marijuana seeds at the scene has led him to believe the operation later would have been expanded to an outdoor grow site as well.
Adamitz and his team left the site at about 2:40 a.m. with evidence seized from the scene.
Constables Brock Myrol, Leo Johnston, Anthony Gordon and Peter Schiemann were shot by Roszko at about 10 a.m. that morning.
Adamitz told the inquiry he has been involved in about 2,000 search warrants, and has never encountered a situation where someone fled the scene and then returned.
He said officers are always aware that a suspect can come back to the scene.
"Were they expecting a return? No," he said. "Would I have been expecting a return? No."
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