A San Jose police officer has been charged with possessing large amounts of marijuana after it was found in a storage unit he rented out, the Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Office said Friday.
Deputy District Attorney Patrick Vanier said 44-year-old Son H. Vu, a 21-year veteran on the San Jose police force, was scheduled be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday on charges of felony possession with intent to sell and maintaining an illegal stash location. But Vu did not enter a plea Friday, and his arraignment has now been delayed until Monday.
“It is deeply disappointing that an officer sworn to uphold the law would so brazenly break it,” said Vanier in a statement. “This office and the San Jose Police Department stand together against illegal drug dealing in our community, no matter who the dealer is.”
A judge set Vu's bail at $100,000. If he is convicted, he faces up to three years and eight months in prison.
Vu's illegal drug stash was found on June 3 when a storage company owner cut the lock on the officer's unpaid storage space, according to Vanier. The owner said a large amount of pot was inside. One source told NBC Bay Area that officers found 20 pounds of marijuana in the unit.
Investigators found Vu was the renter of the space and seized more than 12 pounds of pot, along with grow lights. They also found in Vu's car $5,700 cash and digital files on police calls related to marijuana grow houses.
The officer has been on paid administrative leave since his first arrest in June.
After his arrest, Police Chief Larry Esquivel said: "We will not tolerate such conduct, especially criminal conduct, and we will hold those responsible for their actions."
