Sebastopol man faces drug, child pornography charges

A Sebastopol man charged with marijuana and hash oil sales also is facing a charge he had photos of hardcore child pornography, a Sonoma County sheriff’s official said Wednesday.

Mark Sherman Francisco, 49, remained in custody Wednesday in the Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $230,000.

Francisco was arrested by sheriff’s narcotics officers during an investigation involving illegal drugs at his home on Blackney Road, sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said Wednesday.

While searching his property, a deputy found about $40,000 in cash and a computer flash drive both hidden in a large bag of dry dog food. The flash drive launched an additional investigation, and sex crime detectives found it held 39 pornographic photos of naked children, including toddlers, Focha said.

The Sept. 30 search of the property also turned up 199 marijuana plants, 57 pounds of loose marijuana leaves, 6 pounds of packaged marijuana buds, the makings of a hash oil lab, 96 liters of chemicals that can be used in making hash oil, 500 small plastic containers of hash oil - also called honey oil - and an additional $45,000 in cash, Focha said.

Francisco has been arraigned in court on the felony charges involving drugs and possessing child pornography. He is next due to appear in court Nov. 13 to enter a plea.

The Sheriff’s Office released information Wednesday about Francisco’s arrest following an ongoing investigation, Focha said.

Blackney Road is in a rural area south of Sebastopol and connects to Pleasant Hill Road.