Police uncover indoor pot grow

SANDPOINT — A routine welfare check on Wednesday ended in the arrest of a Sandpoint man for cultivating marijuana in his home.

Sandpoint Police were dispatched to Joseph Robert Funk’s home in the 400 block of Marion Avenue after a neighbor heard yelling. Officers who reported to Funk’s home said in their reports that they picked up the distinct odor of marijuana, which grew overwhelming when Funk opened his front door to speak with the officers.

Funk, the arrest reports said, was confronted about the odor and reluctantly allowed officers inside the residence. Nearly 40 plants were found growing in the home and Funk reportedly told officers that he was growing it for a person who was being treated for cancer.

Funk, 42, made an initial court appearance on Thursday, where he was formally charged with trafficking marijuana. Judge Lori Meulenberg set Funk’s bail at $20,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show.