JAY – A local man was arrested Friday, following a search of his trailer which reportedly turned up more than 100 marijuana plants and a shotgun.
Steven Knockwood, 35, of Jay, was charged with cultivating marijuana, a Class C felony due to the number of plants police say they found, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, also a Class C felony.
The search was conducted by Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Jay Police Department personnel Friday evening, after they applied for a search warrant. According to MDEA Supervisor Gerry Baril, MDEA Agent Brian Ross and Detective Richard Caton VI, of the Jay department, received information that Knockwood was growing marijuana.
The officers searched a trailer, parked behind a residence at the intersection of Purington Road and the Old Jay Hill Road, which Knockwood was occupying. Baril said that police believe the residents in the house at the intersection were not connected and unaware of the operation.
In the trailer, police say, they discovered a nursery and growing rooms, with the latter containing 97 budding plants. In the nursery they reported finding 20 young plants and another 14 dead plants, leading them to believe that Knockwood had grown marijuana for more than one season. Outside the mobile home, police reported finding another 30 plants, with the buds removed.
117 living plants, Baril noted, equated to a felony cultivation charge. The MDEA is estimating that the budding plants would be capable of producing 12 pounds of marijuana, with a “street value” estimated between $30,000 and $36,000.
Baril said that investigators also discovered two ounces of processed marijuana in Knockwood’s bedroom, as well as a digital scale. They reported finding a single shot, 4-10 shotgun. According to Baril, Knockwood has a 2001 conviction for aggravated forgery, a felony which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Knockwood was arrested and brought to the Franklin County Detention Center, where he was released on $3,000 unsecured bail later that evening. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 25, 2010.
