Just after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 11th 2014, Phoenix Police “Neighborhood Enforcement Team” Officer Jacob Lewis was on patrol in the area of the Officer Marc Atkinson Memorial at N. 30th Avenue when he smelled what he believed to be a strong odor of marijuana. Officer Lewis began checking the area and determined the odor was coming from a building at 1800 N. 25th Avenue.
Officers made contact with William Becker at the location who told police he was renting the building to a third party.
A search of the building revealed a full marijuana growing operation with over 300 active marijuana plants. A search warrant was served at a building in the area of 3000 N. 30th Ave., where a second marijuana growing operation was discovered with over 350 active plants. The combined street value of both seizures is estimated at around $1.3 million.
The investigation indicates William Becker is responsible for both locations, and he was booked into the 4th Avenue Jail on charges related to cultivating and possessing marijuana for sale.
Officer Lewis, who routinely drops by Officer Atkinson’s memorial to make tribute in his honor, was commended for his stash house find.