LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two men facing federal charges for a large marijuana grow and for using in their drug operation a 15-year-old runaway girl – who they are alleged to have sexually assaulted and kept in a metal box – have made court appearances in the case, with more hearings upcoming.
Last week, the US Attorney's Office filed charges against Ryan Alan Balletto, 30, of Lakeport, and Patrick Steven Pearmain, 25, of Clearlake, as Lake County News has reported.
They could face life in prison if convicted of the federal charges against them, which include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more plants of marijuana and use of a minor in drug operations, with Balletto facing an additional charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
They made an initial court appearance July 22 before Magistrate Judge Nandor J. Vadas – who unsealed the records in their cases – and returned for a July 24 detention hearing, at which time it was ruled they should remain in custody.
Balletto and Pearmain are being held in Alameda County's Glenn Dyer Jail facility in Oakland without bail, according to jail records.
Both are set to return to court on Wednesday for attorney appointment, based on federal court records.
The minutes of the July 24 detention hearing said Balletto and Pearmain are tentatively scheduled to return to Judge Vadas' court on Aug. 2 for arraignment on their indictments or for a preliminary hearing.
The men have been in custody since their May arrests by Lake County authorities. At one point, Balletto's bail was set at $10 million and Pearmain's at $1 million.
Lake County Sheriff's officials said that the marijuana grow on Balletto's property included nearly 1,500 plants but the federal complaint is charging them with having 1,300 plants.
Balletto and Pearmain had been in Lake County custody pending prosecution on marijuana cultivation, weapons, sexual assault and human trafficking charges, the latter for bringing the runaway Los Angeles girl to the Ogulin Canyon grow.
It's at the grow on Balletto's 681-acre property that it's alleged they forced the girl to trim marijuana and sexually assaulted her, keeping her in a metal tool box on several occasions to discourage her from speaking to anyone about their activities.
While she was at the grow a third man is alleged to have raped her, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Authorities who raided the grow in Ogulin Canyon found a huge cache of weapons as well as tools for sexual bondage and torture, including the metal tool box and a rack-type device, according to the federal complaint.
Earlier this month, after conferring with the US Attorney's Office, District Attorney Don Anderson agreed to drop the local charges so federal prosecutors could pursue the marijuana case against Balletto and Pearmain.
Anderson said his staff is continuing to investigate the human trafficking portion of the case and may refile at a future time.
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