WOODSBORO, Md. —  A Maryland state trooper has been charged with manufacturing a controlled substance after police found a cultivated marijuana plant growing outside his home.

State Police spokesman Gregory Shipley says Trooper First Class Steven Spoonire was suspended without pay after his arrest Wednesday night. The 36-year-old trooper is a 16-year veteran road patrol officer, working out of Westminster.

Shipley says the plant, less than 2 feet tall, was found growing just outside the back door of a house in Woodsboro where Spoonire lives with his wife and two stepchildren. He says investigators also found marijuana seeds and drug paraphernalia inside the home.

Spoonire is also charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was released on his own recognizance.