VA officer accused of using Rowan County fire hydrant to grow marijuana

SALISBURY, N.C. — A police officer at the Veterans Administration hospital was charged with manufacturing marijuana.

The Rowan County Sheriff's Office arrested Thomas Daniel Gaskins, 33, of Salisbury, on Tuesday.

The warrants said between Friday and Monday, Gaskins grew 11 marijuana plants in a wooded area using water from a town fire hydrant. 

A clean-up crew about 30 miles away in Mocksville found a hose hooked up to a town fire hydrant, and they followed the hose into the woods and discovered it was watering the plants.
 
Police said they found evidence on scene that eventually led them to Gaskins' home in Salisbury.
 
In following up the arrest, the Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit went to his home and was met by Gaskins. 

Gaskins provided consent to search the residence and surrendered a small quantity of marijuana. 

During the search of the garage, investigators discovered evidence that a closet had been made into a grow room with a ventilation system. 

There was no marijuana found in the room, and there was no evidence that it had been used previously. 

Neighbors said he has young children and seemed to be a good father.

Gaskins will be charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana for the marijuana found in his residence.
Bond was set at $10,000. 

Gaskins is employed as a police officer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Salisbury and was previously a deputy with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina.

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