Ramona

A sophisticated marijuana harvesting operation was uncovered when San Diego County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man while responding to a call about a family fight in Ramona.

When deputies arrived at the house in the 1000 block of Olive Avenue at 8 p.m. Thursday, one deputy was “overwhelmed” by the smell of marijuana plants, Lt. Jerry Finley said.

The deputy was given permission to enter the upstairs rooms and discovered 130 plants worth about $70,000, Finley said.

Many of the plants, being cultivated with a drip irrigation system under special overhead lights, were 7 feet high, Finley said. Several bundles of packaged marijuana were also seized.

Timothy William O’Brien, 29, is being held on $18,000 bail on suspicion of spousal abuse and possessing and harvesting marijuana.