'Why, yes, I am (smoking pot), officer'

Officer covered in plume of marijuana smoke after pulling motorist over

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WSHM) – A police officer saw a driver blow through a stop sign and initiated a traffic stop Tuesday night, but when the man rolled down his window the officer was covered in a plume of marijuana smoke, according to Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney.

The driver, identified as 30-year-old Ricky Allende, was smoking marijuana and continued to smoke it while he was pulled over near the corner of Leyfred and Woodside terraces, Delaney said.

"Are you smoking marijuana while operating this motor vehicle," asked Officer J. B. Stern, according to a news release.

"Why, yes, I am officer," Allende responded as he sat in his white Mitsubishi.

That's when Allende was arrested.

Stern charged the Springfield resident with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana. He was also issued citations for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, failure to wear seat belt and failure to stop at a stop sign, according to an arrest report.

"High and stupid is no way to go through life," Delaney said.

Allende was to be arraigned in Springfield District Court on Wednesday.