Police confiscate bail money,

[Ferre]

Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 09:30:28 -0800

From: "D. Paul Stanford" <stanford@crrh.org>

Subject: 001 MA: Police confiscate bail money, claiming it smelled like marijuana

 

Police confiscate bail money, claiming it smelled like marijuana

By Associated Press, 12/27/2002 18:43

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) Police confiscated $50,000 in cash from a Vermont

couple who had come to bail their daughter out of jail, because the money

smelled like marijuana and was thought to be the proceeds of drug deals.

 

Nikita Santor's parents, Arlene and Martin Edward Santor of Wallingford,

Vt., brought the money Sunday to the Hampshire County Jail. Most of the

money was in $20 bills wrapped in rubber bands, police said.

 

The officer at the jail smelled the cash and detected a ''slight odor of

marijuana,'' according to a sworn statement. A police dog then sniffed it

and confirmed the drug smell, according to the affidavit.

 

The Santors told police that they did not provide the bail money, but got

the money from their daughter's friends.

 

Nikita Santor, 27, of Ascutney, Vt., and Michael Lenahan, 36, of Walpole,

N.H., were arrested Dec. 18 on Interstate 91 in Northampton. Santor, who

was driving Lenahan's car, was pulled over for following another car too

closely. The state trooper who pulled her over smelled marijuana in the car

and a search recovered marijuana and $12,000 in cash.

 

Police later found other drugs, cash and a handgun in each of their homes,

police said.

 

Both pleaded innocent to possession with intent to distribute.

 

The district attorney's office is seeking to keep the $50,000 and a hearing

on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 16.

 

Santor remains in jail.

 

hehe,...forgot to put this money trough "money laundering"....http://www.clubs.nl/ClubsData/67948/incoming/033102bebe_1_prv.gif

[Mulcontent]

doh!