RF police officer: Close, but no cigar!

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A 24-year-old Roberts woman was pulled over last Friday night for speeding in the 300 block of East Division Street. The officer who stopped her claimed to smell marijuana in her car. The woman said no, it wasn’t pot. Her boyfriend, however, was fond of smoking cigars. Here, and she pulled a cigar stub from her car’s ashtray as proof. No, no, the officer said. That’s not exactly what I smell.

He poked around in the ashtray and allegedly found the end portion of a marijuana joint. The officer said that’s the smell he was talking about.

A further search of the woman’s car allegedly turned up a Ziploc baggie of a substance that later tested positive for marijuana.

The Roberts woman was arrested, given fines for speeding and marijuana possession and released.

Also last week River Falls police:

--Arrested and took to jail a 24-year-old Holcombe man for battery to an officer and obstruction for an incident that started after 1 a.m. Friday when the man was allegedly driving the wrong way on one-way Spring Street. The suspect finally pulled over at Dairy Queen, got out and ran. An officer chased the man, caught him, they tumbled to the ground, the man said he was giving up but then got up and ran off again. He crossed South Main Street and disappeared down the South Fork river.

Officers set up a perimeter but the fleeing suspect got away. Actually, he said he floated away down the South Fork before getting out and walking over to his brother’s apartment in the 900 block of South Main Street. His brother is a UW-River Falls student.

It was later learned the suspect worked for a regional construction firm doing a project in St. Croix County. The foreman said he would make sure the suspect came to the police station.

The man did so and was questioned. He said he didn’t intend to run away from police but panicked because he was afraid of losing his job. After police questioning, he taken to county jail in Ellsworth. Charges are pending with the district attorney.

--Arrested a 22-year-old UW-RF student from Baraboo for substantial battery just before 3 a.m. Friday in the Charlotte Street alley between Main and State streets. Fighting had broken out during a party. The 22-year-old allegedly head-butted a 27-year-old St. Paul man, splitting his nose. An officer also had to use a stun gun on the college student. Two Somerset women were cited for underage drinking.

--Arrested a 24-year-old St. Paul man for disorderly conduct outside Shooter’s Bar on East Elm Street after 2 a.m. Saturday. The man allegedly walked into the bar drunk and nearly falling over. He was kicked out by the owner, but allegedly hit the owner on the back of the head and tried getting back into Shooter’s. He was restrained while a bartender called for help.

--Arrested a 21-year-old River Falls man for drunk driving-2nd offense last Wednesday at 2:30 a.m. A patrol sergeant said the man was using his car to push another empty car onto a grass strip between the bowling alley’s parking lot and St. Croix Street.

--Investigated but couldn’t find the man who punched and broke a woman’s nose at Boomer’s Bar, 106 N. Main St., after midnight Friday. The 21-year-old River Falls woman said she was an innocent bystander when arguing at the bar started. She turned to leave when an unknown man hit her in the face. The suspect is a bald man standing at least six feet three. After suffering pain and swelling, the woman went to a doctor and learned her nose was broken.

For more, please read Police Beat in the May 18 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: crime and courts, river falls, news, crime