Mom Arrested In Family Pot Bust Is A Nurse
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A woman accused of using her home to grow pot has been a nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital, officials confirmed.
Wanda Tong has been a clinical nurse since September 2006.
Her husband, Orin Tong, mentioned her profession while making the case that they can't afford a lawyer, since he, his wife, and three kids were all arrested.
"My wife is a nurse at Jackson, twelve years already, and I was a business owner and because we were all in the same household, we were all charged with the same charges," said OrinTong.
The couple's home, on NW 69th street, was raided by police Tuesday night.
An arrest warrant said they discovered some of the bedrooms in the house were being used to grow pot.
On Wednesday, Orin Tong, spoke during a preliminary court hearing.
Police said Orin Tong admitted to selling pot from the house, through his children.
Officers claim he told them cocaine and MDMA found in the house were for his personal use and part of his religion.
Investigators also found four guns in the house. Orin is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
A neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said he saw police raiding the home that turned out to be a grow house.
Grow houses are often rigged with shoddy electrical set-ups.
"Scary, because if that house were to explode, although I'm about several houses away, it would still affect the whole area," said the neighbor.
Wanda and Orin remain in jail. Their future and her career remain uncertain.
"It really surprised me that a nurse, who's supposed to help sick people would jeopardize her kids," said the neighbor.
The judge did release the Tong children to pre-trial services, meaning they got to go home.
