Follow-Up On Marijuana Cultivation Arrest

On August 29th, National Park Service and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office agents apprehended Francisco Huato Sanchez, a Mexican national, in an active marijuana cultivation site on Willow Creek within Whiskeytown NRA. One additional suspect, who may have run from officers at the time of the arrest, was not located. Since there was a possibility that he was armed, part of the park was closed to visitor access. That closure has been lifted and the park has returned to normal operations. Sanchez has been arraigned on one count of illegal marijuana cultivation (21 USC8 41(a)(1)) and one count of possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully present in the United States (18 USC 922(g)(5)).