Bellingham, Wash., woman after smashing bongs
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — An 18-year-old Bellingham woman has been arrested for investigation of obstructing a law enforcement officer after she grabbed two glass bongs off the back of a police car and smashed them in front of an officer.Police say officers found the woman and three friends smoking marijuana in a car parked at a dead end Friday.
Police searched the car and found two glass bongs, plastic baggies, scales and more than 30 bags containing small amounts of marijuana.
Sgt. Mark Stokes says the driver of the car, a 17-year-old Bellingham resident, admitted to possessing all of the drugs and paraphernalia. While officers were preparing to cite the driver with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, Stokes said the woman grabbed the bongs and started running. Stokes says she smashed the bongs on the ground as an officer chased after her.
Stokes says the woman told police she wanted to help the driver, her friend, avoid a possession of paraphernalia charge, but the driver wasn’t going to be charged with that.
OK, first of all, dumb enough move that the four of you are conspicuously parked at the end of a dead-end road hot-boxing the car like Up In Smoke. But then you’ve also got your whole distribution system in the car with you? Scales, baggies, two bongs, and thirty dime bags? And then when your juvenile friend is facing felony drug dealing charges, you run from cops and destroy evidence of the misdemeanor paraphernalia charges? As if the police don’t have videotape of the bongs seized and could easily pick up and test resinated bong glass fragments if necessary.
If you are unfortunate enough to be picked up by police in a bad situation like this, don’t ever run, keep your mouth shut, and ask to speak with an attorney immediately. And keep your mouth shut. Did I mention that? Give your NORML Legal Committee attorney a chance to save you in court.
