Steamboat Springs — Routt County Sheriff's Office deputies seized six marijuana plants, 62.8 grams (2.2 ounces) of dried marijuana and 10 samples of chemicals during a raid on a house east of Hayden on Thursday and Friday.

An arrest warrant is pending for Timothy Nelson, the owner of the property in the 14000 block of West U.S. Highway 40.

Investigator Mike Curzon said it is unclear whether Nelson has a permit for medical marijuana use. Because of that, deputies left six additional plants on the property.

"We would very much like to talk to the owner of the property," he said.

No one was at the home when the search warrant was served at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Curzon said. Deputies executed an extended search warrant Friday morning to sample the chemicals, and another search warrant will be executed soon. Nelson is the only person sought by deputies, but the investigation is ongoing.

Curzon said a deputy discovered the drugs after responding to an animal complaint and welfare check near the house.

The chemicals on the property were contained in glass jars and other containers, Curzon said. Sheriff's Office evidence supervisor Mellisa Baumgartner said hazardous materials teams identified seven as acids and three as neutrals or bases. The Sheriff's Office will send the chemical samples to a lab in Grand Junction for analysis.

Curzon said the marijuana found in the home was not packaged in a way that would indicate it was prepared for distribution.

- To reach Zach Fridell, call 871-4208 or e-mail zfridell@steamboatpilot.com