Stranded motorist gets ticket for pot

A stranded motorist was ticketed for possession of marijuana Tuesday after a deputy pulled over to help him.

The deputy was westbound on W. Jefferson Street, approaching Cortez Boulevard, when he spotted a Dodge Neon halfway parked onto the shoulder around noon.

The deputy pulled over to help the driver, Michael Nichols, push the car out completely out of the roadway. When Nichols opened the door to the car, though, the strong odor of marijuana wafting out made the deputy suspicious, a report shows.

Nichols, 28, agreed to a search of the car, which reportedly turned up a plastic bag with a trace amount of marijuana. The deputy also said he found an envelope with a brown plant material weighing 7.5 grams. It's unclear what the plant material was, but it did not test positive for marijuana.

He was given a citation for possession of marijuana under 20 grams.