Promoter On Bail In Pot Bust

A Eureka, Calif., concert promoter busted by narcotics agents who found 27 pounds of marijuana at her home was released on bail October 31st.

Jessica Lake, daughter of People Productions’ co-founder Carol Bruno, was arrested October 25th. She was reportedly involved in promoting the Snoop Dogg concert at the Eureka Municipal Auditorium that day.

Members of the Humboldt County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at Lake’s home and reportedly discovered 10 pounds of processed pot, 549 marijuana plants and more than $12,000 in cash, according to the Eureka Reporter.

"She identified herself as a concert promoter, and said she was promoting the Snoop Dogg concert and an after-party," drug task force commander Jack Nelsen told the paper. "The information we have is that it had nothing to do with the concert. It was a case we had that we were working on, and that just happens to be her employment."

Lake pleaded not guilty to charges of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana and allowing a place for storage or growing marijuana. Bail had been set at $100,000, the paper said.

Lake is scheduled to return to court November 27th for a preliminary hearing.

Meanwhile, Bruno and People Productions are still working though a legal battle with Eureka’s Mateel Community Center board over competing reggae festivals both parties wanted to host on the same dates in August.

People Productions formerly promoted the non-profit MCC’s annual Reggae on the River Festival, held at the Dimmick Ranch and French’s Camp in Piercy, Calif., August 3-5, until the board ended its contract with People Productions last December.

Bruno and Dimmick Ranch owner Tom Dimmick then teamed up to create the Reggae Rising Music Festival to be held at Dimmick’s ranch on the same dates.

MCC was forced to fold Reggae on the River when talks between the parties about naming rights and other details went nowhere.