Police discover Fleiss with 400 pot plants

A local celebrity apparently escaped jail last week after sheriff’s deputies discovered nearly 400 marijuana plants growing on her property.

Heidi Fleiss, 47, avoided a night in jail but not felony criminal charges as news slipped out about the bust to celebrity websites Tuesday.

The former Hollywood madam is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, possession of controlled substance marijuana over an ounce, conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act and possession of drug paraphernalia after 392 marijuana plants were found in her home located at 1451 E. Fort Churchill Road.

A press release regarding the Aug. 7 bust details how Fleiss avoided arrest. It says not only was she cooperative with police — they didn’t even have to get a warrant to search her home — she also owns approximately $200,000 worth of exotic birds, which would have posed a significant burden on county animal control officers.

Had she been arrested, the press release states she could have been held at the local jail in lieu of $35,637 bail.

Police discovered the marijuana after a sheriff’s deputy went to Fleiss’s address looking for a wanted person.

When he arrived, the officer observed that the front door was open, but no one responded to his presence. He then proceeded to the rear of the main residence and located several suspected marijuana plants growing in pots outside.

The officer called into police dispatch asking for a narcotics detective and street crimes detective to respond to the address above to investigate the suspected marijuana plants.

As detectives gathered near the front entrance of the property, one officer observed a female walking quickly from a nearby casita to the east of the main property. They ordered the female to stop and when she did, police subsequently identified her as Fleiss.

Officers asked Fleiss where she had been and the woman allegedly said she had been in the second residence on the property for the last 25 minutes. She then gave a detective permission to search the smaller residence.

Inside the officer reportedly found several additional marijuana plants on the floor covered in soil.

After the discovery, Fleiss was read her Miranda rights at which time she began to tell police she was growing marijuana to supply a cooperative in Las Vegas.

A police report notes, however, she could not produce the necessary documentation to support that claim.

As the conversation continued, she allegedly admitted — in a roundabout way police noted — that she was going to get a license because she did not currently have one. She allegedly said she hoped to sell the marijuana, which she admitted to growing, to the pot cooperative.

A male reportedly showed Fleiss how to grow marijuana and it was the same male from the cooperative.

Fleiss allegedly added that she had been attempting to destroy some of the smaller plants in the separate residence because she felt that she was growing too many.

She then gave the sheriff’s office and Nye County HAZMAT permission to search her entire property to collect evidence and dispose of all marijuana grow apparatus.

Police reportedly found 234 plants growing in the separate residence on the property and 158 growing in the backyard.

Police also reportedly located several bottles of chemicals used to grow marijuana along with two grow lights and one ballast. The suspected pot plants were collected as evidence and all other items were collected for destruction.

A report will be forwarded to the Nye County District Attorney’s Office for charges to be filed later.

Fleiss is scheduled to appear in court on an unrelated traffic case today in Pahrump Justice Court, according to the court docket.

One local defense attorney, who declined to comment specifically on the case, noted that he has had clients spend hundreds of days in jail for much less.

District Attorney Brian Kunzi said Tuesday he had not received any reports on the operation discovered at Fleiss’ home.

He said the sheriff’s office has full discretion whether or not to arrest someone, except in certain situations like those involving domestic battery or drunk driving, which requires by law a person be arrested.

Kunzi added the DA’s office was not involved in the decision not to arrest Fleiss, but said it appeared to him the sheriff’s office used reasonable discretion in choosing to “long form” the charges.

“I actually prefer this option unless there is a direct threat to public safety. If charges are filed based on the report I receive, then we can request an arrest warrant or ask for a summons to be issued. A quick arrest creates many time pressures on the judicial system. Following the long form process allows the DA to have all the information before the charges are filed instead of filling in the gaps that may exist after the individual is arrested,” he stated in an email response to questions.