Police: Man Ate Pot During Traffic Stop

A man left behind a trail of crumbs, leading to a felony drug charge, after he admitted to eating marijuana when the vehicle he was traveling in was pulled over for a traffic violation.

According to Northport police, Mark Bartig, of East Northport, was in the backseat of a 1999 Lincoln when it was stopped for illegal window tints Dec. 10. It was then that the officer noticed loose marijuana on his jacket. 

Police said that after questioning, Bartig admitted to eating the marijuana and told police that there was another ounce of the drug in the trunk. However, that wasn’t all the officer found.

The officer recovered a glass mason jar with 29 grams of marijuana and 50 clear zip lock bags commonly used to package drugs in the trunk. The officer also found a black digital scale with marijuana residue on it next to Bartig in the back seat, police said.

The driver, Christopher Roel, of Northport, admitted to police that he had a knife in the driver’s side door jam. Upon a search, the officer recovered a large, black metal dagger, police said.

Bartig was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a felony. Roel was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and given a citation for illegal window tints.