Montana teen texts sheriff to buy pot

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - General rule of thumb: when looking to buy marijuana, don't text the sheriff.

Authorities said a Helena teen sent out a text message last week in search of pot, but instead of contacting the drug dealer, he hit a wrong number and inadvertently sent the message to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.

The text read, "Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?"

Dutton told the Helena Independent Record he initially thought it was a joke, but he quickly realized it was a real request for drugs. He responded to the text, and a detective pretending to be the dealer organized a meeting with the boy last Wednesday.

The detective spotted two teenage boys and a man at the arranged meeting spot and called the number three times to make sure he had the right person. Dutton said when the detective showed the teens his badge, their faces turned white and their knees began to wobble. One of the boys even fainted.

The man in the group turned out to be the father of one of the teens, and no citations were issued after the parents of both boys got involved.

"Trying to buy drugs is a crime, but it's probably worse that they had to face their parents," Dutton said.

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Information from: Independent Record, http://www.helenair.com