An Elgin police officer arrested and charged a 25-year-old Camden woman for possession with intent to distrubite marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on Main Street near Green Hill Road just after midnight on March 22.

According to an EPD report, the officer noticed the woman’s husband driving a vehicle in front of him with not tag light and one of its tail lights out. While speaking with the couple, the officer detected the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the car. When he asked the man how much marijuana was in the car, the woman’s husband said there was alot.

The officer detained the husband and placed him in his patrol car. The man told the officer the marijuana was in a camoflauge backpack in the back seat and claimed that while he does not smoke it, he gives it to his wife for glaucoma.

The officer then went back to the couple’s car and spoke to the woman, who also said she uses the marijuana for glaucoma. When asked how much marijuana was in the car, she said 28 grams were in the backpack and also handed over a grinder and blunt she had on her person.

The officer also detained her and her wait in front of his patrol car while he had K9 Nala do a free sniff of the air around the car. She reportedly hit on the car.

A county deputy arrived on the scene and had the woman placed in his patrol car to keep her and her husband separated. That allowed the Elgin officer to retrieve the bag from the back of the car, in which he found a glass mason jar containing the marijuana. He also found a set of scales, which he wrote in the report are commonly used for narcotics, and $100 cash.

The woman then admitted all the marijuana and paraphernalia was hers, so the officer released her husband, issuing him a warning for the tag and tail lights. He then transported the woman to the county jail.

A check of the marijuana afterward revealed it was actually 32 grams.

The EPD also reported the following other recent incident:

An officer cited a 35-year-old Columbia man for unlawful possession of a pistol, open container and driving under suspension following a traffic stop for not wearing a seatbelt near the intersection of Main and Church streets on the evening of March 19. The man admitted he did not have a driver’s license and was driving under suspension. The officer asked the man to step out of the car due to smelling of alcohol and the man handing over a three-quarters full cup of beer. Before being patted down, the man informed the officer he had a pistol in his pants pocket. He admitted to not having a concealed weapons permit and claimed he only carried the pistol for protection.

Elgin officers also dealt with incidents involving ananimals at large, breach of peace, disregarding a stop sign, driving under suspension, expired vehicle license, no driver’s license, no proof of insurance, open container, possession of drug paraphernalia, and shoplifting.

(The Elgin Police Department provides reports under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act. Subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty.)