Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office
Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office
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A 43-year-old Ohio woman is behind bars in Sweetwater County after deputies allegedly found over 36 pounds of pot in her car following a traffic stop on Interstate 80.

Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell says a sheriff's office K9 Ateam was on patrol Tuesday night on Interstate 80 about nine miles west of Wamsutter when they made a traffic stop.

The vehicle was a silver Buick Encore driven by 43-year-old Elaina Chilton of Springfield, Ohio. The team's drug dog alerted to the presence of drugs, according to Sheriff Lowell, and he says a subsequent search of the car turned up 33 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana weighing a little over 36 pounds as well as 100 ''Brass Knuckles" liquid marijuana vape cartridges.

Chilton was arrested and is facing charges including felony possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) and felony possession of a controlled substance (marijuana-liquid form).

At last report, she was in custody in the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a $15,000 bond. Sheriff Lowell says his agency has adopted a policy of not identifying dog handlers and their canine partners because of threats made against law enforcement officers and their dogs around the country.

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