Man Charged With Marijuana Manufacture After House Fire

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — A Washington man has been charged for a marijuana operation that was found during a house fire that claimed his mother's life.

The Kitsap Sun reported Tuesday that 46-year-old Matthew Parham was charged with manufacture of marijuana. He had a bench warrant issued for his arrest earlier in June after he failed to attend a May court hearing.

Police say they found a clandestine marijuana grow and a extraction operation for THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, while they investigated the February house fire that killed Parham's mother.

According to document, Parham told a detective he was growing the marijuana. Washington state law says growers and processors require a license from state regulators.