Suspect in murder of Mendocino commerical pot grower arrested in South Lake Tahoe

2/25/17 - Updated information at the end of this story provided by Mendocino Sheriff.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - A fugitive pot plant trimmer suspected in the robbery and brutal killing of an operator of a commercial marijuana farm in Mendocino County was arrested in South Lake Tahoe Friday afternoon.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) detectives became aware 33-year-old Jesse Cole Wells was residing at a home on Conestoga Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. An active arrest warrant already existed for Wells, so detectives coordinated with Mendocino County investigators and were granted a search warrant for the residence.

On Friday, February 24 at 4:15 p.m., the SLTPD SWAT team was activated due to the violent crime involved and the high risk nature of the arrest. They were joined by the Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives and arrested Wells without incident. He has been booked into the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe and is being held on bail in the amount of $650,000.

Wells is one of seven suspects in the November, 2016 murder of Jeffrey Quinn Settler. The suspects were hired by Settler to trim marijuana plants and buds for his operation on rural property north of Laytonville, Calif., five miles on a dirt road off of Highway 101.

Authorities said the suspects conspired to steal the marijuana, which had already been processed for sale. When the seven were done for the day, they allegedly returned to the remote grounds in the early hours of November 11.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Detectives were summoned to the scene, along with investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office and criminalists from the California Department of Justice. The investigation revealed the suspects knew the marijuana was stored in the same structure where Settler slept and the subjects violently assaulted him during the robbery, causing his death according to a press release.

The suspects were believed to have fled the property in at least two vehicles and were believed to have stolen over 100 pounds of processed marijuana.

Wells is the sixth suspect to be arrested. On January 16, suspect Michael Andrew Kane of New York surrendered to Customs and Border Patrol at the California Mexico Border on a felony warrant for homicide in this case. He had been living in Mexico when he contacted his family and told them he was "tired of running." On February 11, the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office in Williamsburg, Virginia notified Mendocino Sheriff's Office that they had taken suspect Frederick Gaestel into custody. Gaestel had been living in a vacant home in that community.

Authorities are still looking for Gary Blank III, of Elgin, Ill. and Garberville, Calif.

2/25 update: Here is a press release from the Mendocino Sheriff's Office:

In late 2016, Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office traveled to the Lake Tahoe area to investigate tips that suspect Jesse Cole Wells (33-year-old male from Laytonville) had been frequenting local casinos.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Detectives were assisted by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Nevada Sheriff’s Office.

Evidence was discovered that Wells had indeed been in Lake Tahoe casinos, however Wells was not located at that time.

Between November of 2016 and February 2017, there have been additional tips and reports to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department regarding Wells’ whereabouts.

On 02-23-2017, Wells’ location was identified by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Mendocino County Sheriff’s Detectives sought a search warrant from the Mendocino County Superior Court for a residence in South Lake Tahoe (California).
Sheriff’s Detectives traveled to South Lake Tahoe and met with Investigators from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Due to the violent offense for which Wells was wanted, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department served the search warrant with the assistance of their S.W.A.T. unit.
Wells was taken into custody without incident on 02-24-2017 and was to be booked into the El Dorado County Jail on the Mendocino County Superior Court arrest warrant alleging homicide and robbery, in lieu of $650,000.00 bail.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Detectives remained on scene to continue the investigation.

Wells will be extradited to Mendocino County at some point where he will be prosecuted along with the five additional suspects in custody on this case at this time.