A marijuana grow operation was discovered on Monday in the Roosevelt home of a man who pleaded Guilty of Production of Marijuana in 2024. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, Officers arrived at the home near 300 North 600 East to serve court paperwork to Danny Lee Cooper, who came to the door. Because of the odor emanating from inside the home, the Officers checked with the Duchesne County Attorney and found that Cooper’s plea in abeyance agreement from his prior conviction requires him to permit monthly law enforcement searches to verify that he is not cultivating marijuana. Cooper directed them to the kitchen where there was suspected raw and burned marijuana. He then led them into the basement where there were two indoor grow tents containing approximately 16 large suspected marijuana plants. The basement contained an extensive cultivation setup consisting of grow lights, digital temperature gauges, fans, heaters, blowers, and a ventilation system routed through the basement wall and into the chimney. In a separate upstairs room, Officers located equipment consistent with marijuana processing and packaging, including small baggies, new plastic containers, empty pill capsules, scales, grinders, a press, and a dehydrator. Throughout the residence was also observed suspected marijuana products, including gummies, chocolates, baked goods, rolled blunts, and multiple containers containing a green leafy substance consistent in appearance with marijuana. Although held in abeyance, Cooper's prior Guilty plea to marijuana production is a qualifying prior offense for penalty enhancement. 78-year-old Danny Lee Cooper was arrested and is charged with 2nd Degree Felony Production of Marijuana with a Prior and Misdemeanor Use of Drug Paraphernalia.
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