Game warden shot near Mount Umunhum

A state Fish and Game warden was shot in the leg and a man was killed during an early morning raid on a large marijuana farm near Mount Umunhum in a remote area of Santa Clara County.

The unidentified dead man, who had been guarding the pot farm, was hit in an exchange of gunfire during the raid, which was carried out by Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies. A second suspect being sought was considered armed and dangerous.

The warden, whose injuries were not life-threatening, was flown by helicopter to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, said Steve Martarano, spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game. The warden's name was not immediately released.

He was the first California game warden shot since 1979, when a warden was killed as he tried to apprehend a suspect near Pittsburg, Martarano said.

Terrance Helm, a sheriff's spokesman, said the warden was confronted by two armed ``watchdogs'' more than two hours into the raid. ``That's when the shooting began,'' he said.

Helm said he didn't know how many shots were fired or if anyone else, besides for the warden and the dead man, was involved in the shooting.

Helm said all available deputies and San Jose police officers were ``scouring the hillsides'' for the second man.

The warden was evacuated by helicopter about 10:30 a.m. The suspect, Helm said, died while sheriff's deputies waited for a SWAT team ``to secure the area.''

The approximately 3-acre pot farm is on the eastern slope of Mount Umunhum in a 17,000-acre open-space reserve. Owned by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, it is closed to the public.

More than 10,000 plants, most about 5 feet tall, were discovered. District staff altered authorities to the pot farm.

The area is so remote that it takes about an hour to hike from the nearest dirt road, Helm said.

Robin Schwanke, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office, said agents from the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting were not involved in the shooting. ``CAMP was scheduled to be out there, but they weren't out there yet,'' she said.

CAMP, a 22-year-old program run by the state Department of Justice, provides aerial support and manpower for local law-enforcement agencies that request help.

Martarano said Fish and Game wardens are often requested to assist in marijuana eradication raids ``because of the potential environmental crimes associated with these kinds of operations.'' The crimes include stream-bed degradation and water pollution, often caused by the use of an excessive amount of water.

The injured warden was one of three wardens on the scene this morning.