Man arrested on suspicion of arson, animal cruelty in connection with DHS honey oil lab explosion
A man has been arrested in connection with Monday’s honey oil lab explosion in Desert Hot Springs. Desert Hot Springs Police Department arrested 26-year-old Tyler Lee Ropac on charges of arson, child endangerment, cruelty to animals, and operating a clandestine laboratory.
He was booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional facility in Banning.
At approximately 12:15 p.m. on Monday, DHSPD arrived on the scene of a residential fire on the 65900 block of Desert View and began their investigation into the cause of the explosion.
No injuries were reported as a result of the explosion or the fire that followed.
During the investigation, it was determined that Ropac was operating an illegal “Honey Oil Lab” within the residence, and that said operation sparked the explosion and blaze. “Honey oil,” terminology used in the official incident news releases, is an oil concentrate created through the extraction and reduction of cannabis or hashish.
The investigation was a joint operation worked by detectives from the Desert Hot Springs Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Marijuana Enforcement team.
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