Teen locks car doors after asked to leave vehicle by police officer

The juvenile, who was not named by the police due to his age, was also charged with one count of not having a valid driver’s license and one count of failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

He was stopped Jan. 24 by Cody Police Officer Blake Stinson around 8 a.m. when he observed the juvenile driving through an intersection near the Park County Courthouse as a pedestrian was in the crosswalk, the affidavit said.

“As the pedestrian was crossing the street, the driver of the silver Nissan proceeded through the intersection without stopping,” the affidavit said.

After the boy pulled over into the parking lot area in front of Cody High School, Stinson “immediately smelled the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle,” the affidavit said.

The juvenile wanted to know why he had been pulled over, to which Stinson told him about failing to yield to a pedestrian.

He then refused to talk to Stinson, calling his mother instead and telling Stinson to speak with her.

“I told [him] I would not speak with his mother and that he was required to provide his license, registration and insurance,” Stinson wrote in the affidavit. “[He] refused to provide his information ... [and] then told me I had to wait for his mother to arrive before he would do anything.”

Cody Police Detective Scott Burlingame arrived at the scene shortly after to help Stinson conduct a controlled substance investigation, the affidavit said.

“I told [him] I could smell marijuana in the vehicle and ordered him to get out,” the affidavit said. “[He] refused and locked the doors to the vehicle.”

Since the window was down, Burlingame and Stinson each grabbed one of the boy’s arms. After struggling with him for a while, Stinson was eventually able to unlock the car door while Burlingame was able to open the door, the affidavit said.

The juvenile was arrested, and a search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of a marijuana grinder, several grams of marijuana found in the driver’s side door pocket and a glass marijuana pipe, the affidavit said. He was then taken to the Park County Detention Center.

“I believed [the juvenile] was under the influence of marijuana while he was driving his younger sister and friend to school,” Stinson wrote in the affidavit. “[And] by interfering with my lawful requests, [he] prevented me from conducting a controlled substance driving under the influence investigation.”

According to the affidavit, the grinder seized during the vehicle search did test positive for THC. On Jan. 25, the local boy pleaded not guilty to all four charges in Park County Circuit Court.

During his arraignment, he was given a $5,000 cash or surety bond and ordered not to operate a motor vehicle at any point while out on bond. He was further prohibited from possessing marijuana, including hemp products.

He now faces a jury trial, which has been scheduled for June.