HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s Supreme Court says police didn’t need a homeowner’s permission for a warrantless search that led to the discovery of a marijuana crop in a greenhouse on his Canterbury property.
The state’s highest court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that found Richard Houghtaling had no legal expectation of privacy at the home, which he was renting to a man who had given police written permission for the search.
The court also ruled that police were justified in questioning Houghtaling, who pulled into the property during the search and was stopped when he attempted to flee.
He told authorities he had been assisting his renter in cultivating marijuana for about five months.
Houghtaling eventually pleaded no contest to charges including possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
