Ryan Balletto, 30, and Patrick Pearmain, 24, allegedly made the teen work on their Clearlake farm and locked her in a metal toolbox for days.
Ryan Balletto (l.) and Patrick Pearmain face life in prison if convicted of intent to distribute marijuana and using a minor in drug operations.
Two Northern California men forced a 15-year-old girl to work on their pot farm and locked her in a 4 by 2 by 2-foot metal toolbox for days on end, authorities said.
Ryan Balletto, 30, and Patrick Pearmain, 24, allegedly had sex with the teen as well on their Clearlake farm of more than a thousand marijuana plants.
“Pot is one thing, but sexually abuse — that’s very bad,” said local Jimmy Martinez. “That’s absolutely wrong.”
Police said they found a rack to hold someone captive among a slew of bondage sex devices near the box, which had holes for breathing, reported local station reported KCRA.
The men called the teen “a trooper” because she did not yell for help when they locked her in the box, she told police.
Cops also uncovered a massive arsenal of military-grade weapons. They called it “the largest and most sophisticated bulk of weapons seized in recent Lake County Sheriff’s Office history.”
The stash included assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, loaded magazines, night-vision devices, body armor and face masks, authorities said.
“They grow pot everywhere in Lake County,” said Bob Clouse, who lives nearby. “It’s ridiculous that they get away with it, especially that much.”
The FBI was already investigating the pot growing when the Los Angeles Police Department contacted Lake County authorities to tell them that a missing Los Angeles girl may have been kidnapped and held captive in Clearlake.
That is when police moved in to find the girl who they say is now safe. Balletto and Pearmain were arrested and charged with intent to distribute marijuana and using a minor in drug operations.
If convicted, they could face life in prison.
Some evidence indicates they may have kidnapped additional victims, an officer told KPIX 5. Authorities are working to verify this information. SOURCE
