Cops: Pot grown, sold in Spokane Valley day care

Spokane County sheriff’s detectives on Thursday arrested a 35-year-old Spokane Valley day care provider who had been selling marijuana to high school students.

Detectives raided the duplex at 7820 E. Buckeye Ave. just after 9 a.m. and arrested Tina M. Jones on charges of manufacturing a controlled substance and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, sheriff’s Deputy Craig Chamberlin said in a news release.

“The investigation has been going on for about a year,” Chamberlin said.

The case started through the work of Deputy Ed Cashman, the school resource officer at West Valley High School, he said.

“Whenever he found kids with pot, they told him they were buying it here,” Chamberlin said, referring to Jones’ residence, which is about a half-mile from the school.

“We were able to get a confidential informant and confirm she was running an unlicensed day care,” he said.

Jones was caring for three to seven children in the same home from which detectives seized 58 marijuana plants. Three children were in the home at the time of the raid.

All of the children were picked up at the residence by their parents.

“Jones’ rationale for selling the marijuana to the students was to keep them away from ‘worse’ drugs,” Chamberlin said. “As far as the marijuana grow, Jones said she was under the assumption marijuana was going to be legalized in the near future so she was getting a head start for her personal usage.”