A 20-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department has been arrested after a large amount of marijuana was found inside a storage unit he was renting, police say.
Police say the manager of the Public Storage facility at 475 Tully Road in San Jose contacted authorities on Tuesday about a strong marijuana odor emanating from the storage unit of a customer who wasn’t paying rent.
The storage facility manager called police, who discovered the weed, then found out the storage unit belonged to one of their own, 42-year-old San Jose Police Officer Son Vu. One source tells NBC Bay Area that officers found about 20 pounds of marijuana inside the storage unit.
“That’s a lot of dope,” said Bob Cooke, former South Bay special agent in charge of the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.
Vu was arrested for felony charges related to the possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Heather Randol. Vu has been placed on paid administrative leave.
"We will not tolerate such conduct, especially criminal conduct, and we will hold those responsible for their actions," San Jose Police Chief Larry Esquivel said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office to ensure this investigation is thorough and complete."
Officer Vu was released on bail. He is the second San Jose police officer arrested this year.
Geoffrey Graves, 38, is accused of raping a woman he had placed in a motel room to remove her from a domestic violence situation while on duty last year.
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Graves pleaded not guilty to the charges in April. Prosecutors last month added charges that he assaulted an ex-girlfriend at least twice prior to the alleged rape.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
