Alleged Tahoe pot grower also an elementary school teacher

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - One of the suspects arrested Friday on charges of suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and destruction of evidence is a fourth-grade teacher at Bijou Community School.

Tamara Allen, 42, is currently on a leave of absence with pay, said Beth Delacour, director of human resources for Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Christopher Liller, 34, and Allen were arrested at their home on Glenn Road. Police officers found $1,400 in cash, 100 marijuana plants and two to three pounds of processed marijuana, said Jeff Catchings, task force commander for the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team.

SLEDNET found the items in the home.

"It was an indoor grow," Catchings said. "They did not have a medical certificate and were not care providers."

Catchings said when team members arrived at the house on Friday, they could smell marijuana.

The man and woman were doing an indoor grow, and officers could hear them destroying their garden, Catchings said.

Allen and Liller told officers to "come back with a search warrant," so they returned later with a search warrant issued by a judge, Catchings said.

Liller was the third brother in an alleged drug ring connected to two other brothers whose homes were raided Thursday in Reno.

The Reno homes netted 240 marijuana plants, officials said.

This was a first offense for the couple, Catchings said.

Delacour said the district is waiting to see the charges before they evaluate their legal options.

The police haven't released anything to Delacour yet. The district can't begin to act without knowing what it's walking into, she said.

Allen's class has a short-time substitute finishing out the week for now, but long-term substitutes are also being looked at, she said.

Liller and Allen are due to appear in court Jan. 23 for their arraignment. Both were out on $35,000 bail.