By Breanna Edelstein
The Eagle-Tribune
HAMPSTEAD, N.H. — Police are reminding Granite Staters that although marijuana has been legalized in Massachusetts, it is still prohibited across the New Hampshire border.
The announcement came Monday, after a traffic stop in Hampstead led to the arrest of a driver who said he didn’t know he was breaking the law by having marijuana in the cup holder of his vehicle, police said.
Sgt. Robert Kelley was conducting a traffic enforcement grant patrol funded by the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency at the intersection of Route 121-A and Route 111 when he noticed the driver of a green Oldsmobile Cutlass talking on a cellphone.
The driver, later identified as Selket Taylor, 27, of Danville, pulled over 400 feet down the road, police said, and could be heard yelling as the officer approached the car.
Taylor became increasingly agitated while searching for his license and registration and “began rambling about things that had nothing to do with why he was stopped,” according to police.
When Kelley noted the bag of marijuana, Taylor assured the officer that he “only smokes it in Massachusetts,” where it is legal.
Police said Taylor was “enraged” as he was arrested, and continued to “smash his head in the back of the patrol car.”
The discovery of excessive trash and clothing in the impounded vehicle led police to believe that Taylor was living there. Police also discovered a larger bag of marijuana and a clear plastic bag containing white pills, possibly intended for prescription use.
While being processed at the Hampstead Police Department, officials said Taylor continued to “badger and swear at the officer” and “made the process extremely difficult.”
He was released on $1,500 personal recognizance bail and will appear in Plaistow District Court on Aug. 25. He faces charges for using his cellphone while driving, transporting drugs and two counts of drug possession, one at the felony level.
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©2017 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.)