A UW-Madison plant researcher was arrested last week for allegedly growing marijuana in the Biochemistry Building on campus.

Christopher J. Schwartz, 45, was arrested and booked into the Dane County Jail on Thursday, tentatively charged with one felony count of manufacturing and delivering marijuana.

The arrest was made on Wednesday, a day after police received a tip about the plants being grown in a lab in the building, UW-Madison Police Sgt. Aaron Chapin said.

Schwartz is an assistant scientist who works in the Biochemistry Building, 420 Henry Mall, according to UW-Madison Police Sgt. Aaron Chapin.

Schwartz was released from jail on Thursday, according to jail records.

A short description of the work done by Schwartz, written for an agriculture-genomics meeting in San Diego in January, shows he works on bio-energy crop research, including switchgrass.

UW-Madison spokesman Dennis Chaptman said Schwartz was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest. His case will now work its way through UW's personnel process and could lead to a variety of consequences, Chaptman said, up to and including dismissal.

Chapin said he did not know how many plants were being grown or where in the building they were, only that it was in a portion of the lab that was under Schwartz's control. He said that Schwartz consented to a search of his West Side home, where police found more evidence of marijuana production and use. Chapin said he did not know what sort of evidence that was.

Chapin said the investigation into the marijuana growing in the Biochemistry Building is continuing, and it isn't known at this time if anybody else is involved.

"Additional charges may be forthcoming," Chapin said.

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UW plant researcher arrested for growing pot in Biochemistry Building