Man sentenced to probation in Costa Mesa honey oil lab fire and child porn case

A man arrested in May after an illegal honey oil lab he was operating in Costa Mesa caught fire and authorities found child pornography on his cellphone has been sentenced to five years’ formal probation.

Wesley Hunter Thomason, 24, of Garden Grove pleaded guilty Thursday in Orange County Superior Court to one count of possessing child pornography, one count of manufacturing a controlled substance and a count of recklessly causing fire to an inhabited structure, all felonies, according to court records.

Judge John Zitny immediately sentenced Thomason to probation, and ordered him to register as a sex offender and narcotics offender and enroll in a drug program. He was sentenced to nearly a year in jail but will not serve additional time because of credit for time already served, according to court records.

Costa Mesa police arrested Thomason on suspicion of starting a fire May 11 in the backyard of a home in the 2200 block of Avalon Street.

Police said Thomason was operating a butane honey oil lab at the home. Butane honey oil extraction is a volatile process in which gases are heated to extract tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, from marijuana leaves. THC is the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

Thomason suffered burns to his arms in the fire and was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana for treatment before he was arrested.

During a search of the Avalon Street home, authorities seized Thomason’s cellphone, which police alleged contained images of child pornography. Police said they seized additional items containing child pornography as they searched Thomason’s home in Garden Grove.

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