"Police said the search was the result of a mistaken tip."
Sounds like some moron thought they had caught themselves a pothead but wasn't smart enough to know what a pot plant looked like.
Sounds like all you need to do to get the cops to harass someone you don't like is claim that one of their plants is pot.
Richards and Glidden said they believe the search was the result of a police officer moving into an apartment across the alley from Glidden.
"The kicker is, if you go by the alley between the tavern and pawn shop, you cannot see (her window) from the road,' said James Richards.
If her window wasn't visible from street level and they suspect that the tipster was actually a cop moving into an apartment, he couldn't have had a good view of the plant - not without a pair of binoculars at least. She might be encouraged to be wary of the window across the alley - and to keep a camera handy.