A Stock Island woman was arrested on Thursday after a deputy discovered several drugs and drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop for having high beams on.
Martha Lynn Knowles, 50, was charged with resisting an officer, two counts of possession of controlled substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana and five counts of possession of paraphernalia.
Around 10:25 p.m., a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputy was conducting speed enforcement on U.S. 1 when he spotted a black Pontiac driving northbound with its high beams on. Several vehicles driving southbound passed the Pontiac, but the high beams never switched to low.
According to the report, the deputy conducted a traffic stop and met with the driver, identified as Knowles, who stated she was using high beams because her driver’s side low beam broke earlier that day. The deputy then informed her that a K9 unit was his backup, and he wanted to use the dog for a preliminary check on the vehicle. At this point, Knowles admitted to having marijuana in her purse.
The K9 unit alerted to the presence of drugs in the car, and a search of the vehicle revealed 6.25 grams of marijuana, a vapor cigarette with THC oil, a metal marijuana pipe, a can of beer and a schedule III pain pill.
The deputy searched Knowles prior to her arrest, where he found a container with an unknown white residue. As she was being arrested, the deputy realized Knowles had something in her hands, and after getting her to let go, he discovered a metal pipe with steel wool, commonly used to smoke narcotics such as cocaine or methamphetamine. The field test of the pipe came back inconclusive, but the deputy also found a metal pick, which was likely used to insert drugs into the pipe, according to the report.
Knowles was taken to the Monroe County Detention Center, where she was being held on a $6,000 bond.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
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