A North Dakota woman pulled over by deputies in Minnesota could face up to 30 years in prison after a bong containing water that tested positive for methamphetamine was found in her car.
Jessica Beske, of Fargo, was stopped in Polk County, Minnesota, on May 8 for speeding, according to the Minnesota Reformer. Deputies allegedly smelled marijuana coming from her car and searched the vehicle, the outlet reported.
Beske wrote in court documents obtained by NBC News that she was found to be in possession of three pieces of drug paraphernalia that tested positive for meth. The deputies allegedly found a bong, a glass jar containing a “crystal substance” and pipes, the Minnesota Reformer reported.
Beske wrote that under Minnesota law, drug paraphernalia is legal. But she was arrested and charged with first-degree possession, she wrote.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Last year, drug paraphernalia was decriminalized, even if it contains drug residue. But, according to the Minnesota Reformer, the changes did not roll back an existing law that treats bong water as a controlled substance. And anyone convicted of first-degree possession crimes could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison, a fine of no more than $1 million, or both.
NBC News reached out to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the county attorney’s office for comment on Thursday. Beske did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the court documents, Beske wrote that the bong and other items found were paraphernalia. She also asked that her vehicle and cash she won at the casino be returned to her “because it is not subject to forfeiture.”
U.S. & World
Beske told the Minnesota Reformer that the charges against her didn’t make sense.
“It’s against common sense,” she said. “It’s against everybody’s common sense.”
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:
