Casper Woman Arrested for Morphine, Marijuana Possession After Traffic Stop
A Casper woman was arrested Thursday after police stopped her SUV and allegedly found drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle.
Roberta Dawn Friend, 51, was booked into jail on charges of felony possession of morphine, possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Charging papers say a police officer was patrolling the area of Second Street and Park at about 1:20 p.m. Thursday when he saw a red GMC Jimmy change lanes without signaling. The SUV's windshield was cracked on the driver's side, so the officer stopped the Jimmy at Second and Beech.
Friend, who was the only person inside the vehicle, said she was on her way back to work. As she gathered her driver's license and insurance cards, the officer noticed Friend's breathing appeared accelerated and she was making "jerky movements."
Friend said there was nothing illegal inside the vehicle. The officer confirmed Friend's driving status through dispatch, then returned Friend's driver's license and insurance card.
The officer told Friend she would not be receiving tickets for the broken windshield and failure to signal, and that she was free to go.
As Friend walked toward her vehicle, the officer asked again whether there was anything illegal in the SUV. Friend said no, and at the officer's request, gave him permission to search the vehicle.
The officer reportedly saw an open drink cup in the center console and, upon sniffing the drink, allegedly recognized the odor of an alcoholic beverage. On the floor of the SUV was a six-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade, and the officer believed the liquid in the cup to be the same color.
Inside a purse left on the driver's seat, the officer allegedly found two plastic baggies containing a total of 23 round, gray pills. Those pills were later identified as 100-mg morphine pills. Also inside the purse was a marijuana pipe which reportedly contained burnt marijuana.
The weight of the morphine pills was 3.7 grams, according to the affidavit, so Friend was taken to jail on a felony charge as well as the marijuana possession charge.