Lincoln police bust marijuana growing operation

Police say a Crimestoppers tip helped them take down a marijuana growing operation in Lincoln.

The person living at the residence is now behind bars.

One neighbor, Carmen McCui, says she was surprised to hear what was going on just a couple houses away.  “I had absolutely no idea.  I didn't notice anything, but that's because I'm kind of new to the neighborhood.”

After searching a home near 14th and Sumner Tuesday night, Lincoln police say they found a marijuana growing operation.

In two basement rooms, they uncovered 26 plants, along with growing lights, fertilizer and even a step-by-step marijuana growing guide.

Police arrested the resident, 47–year old Jay Jarecke inside.

Officer Katie Flood says, “Four packaged bags of marijuana were also found, totaling over 70 grams of marijuana.”

In previous years, Flood says police would usually bust less than a handful of marijuana growing operations.  This year alone, police uncovered more than a dozen.  In some of the homes, there were more than 100 plants. Flood says, “typically this would have been considered a moderately-sized growing operation, however, with the seizure of marijuana plants earlier this year, this is fairly small in nature.”

McCui says she's not taking the bust lightly. “It's a little bit disconcerting, especially with having the kids play outside and run around the neighborhood because you don't know who they interact with.”

Jarecke's 57–year-old friend was in the home at the time of the search as well. Police found a pipe in his pocked and cited him for possession of paraphernalia.