LAND O' LAKES, FL -- Lake Talia is a well manicured Land O' Lakes sub-division with steel gates out of front and large homes down every street.
Residents say it's usually quiet here. But not Friday morning, when Pasco County Sheriff's Deputies raided a house just a stones throw away from Sanders Elementary.
Inside they found a large scale grow operation with 171 pot plants.
"Yea. of course it bothers me. But it is what it is," says John French who lives a few houses down from where the post bust took place.
He heard about all the commotion, but is more concerned with getting his sprinklers working. "Regardless of income level or the community that you live in it can happen," said French.
Another neighbor said the man who lived in the house was giving out treats on Halloween. Her daughter even stopped by. But apparently inside there was a whole lot more than candy.
Authorities say the suspect, who rented this 400-thousand dollar house, is still on the loose.
Although investigators says there's no connection, the scene is similar to an October raid that found grow operations at four different homes. They were all rentals in upper-class Pasco County neighborhoods.
Real estate broker and property manager Dave Ryndes has a system keep tabs on his homes. Along with a background check on renters, he visits the properties four times a year to change out air filters.
"The last one I did had eight filters. So I was in almost every room, said Ryndes who runs The Real Estate Expert in Land O'Lakes.
Ryndes says several years ago a home he looked after had a grow house bust too. One warning sign, he says, is a renter with a lot of up front cash.
Even neighbors who met the suspect say they had no idea what was going on inside the house with perfect landscaping and pumpkins on the porch.
