The Big Tomato

Originally Aired: January 25, 1951 Dragnet #85, "The Big Tomato," Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero investigate a tragic case that hits close to home for Los Angeles families. When seventeen-year-old Kenneth Morrow dies after crashing his car into a street light at high speed, the investigation takes a darker turn. Officers discover a metal case containing marijuana on the floor of the wrecked vehicle, revealing that the boy's death wasn't just a simple accident but the result of drug use. Friday and Romero learn that Kenneth, once a good student with above-average grades, had undergone a dramatic personality change in recent months, becoming disrespectful, neglecting his studies, and lying to his parents about spending evenings at the library. As Friday and Romero dig deeper, they interview Kenneth's devastated father Thomas Morrow and his former girlfriend Peggy Kane, who describe a boy who seemed to have fallen in with the wrong crowd. The detectives discover that Kenneth's behavior shifted dramatically around Christmas, and they begin tracking down his associates, including Bob Lavelle, a fellow student who worked with Kenneth in the school cafeteria. With a dangerous marijuana operation targeting high school students and this being the second such death in eight months, Friday and Romero must work quickly to identify the suppliers before more young lives are destroyed.