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SALT LAKE CITY — An Oregon woman is facing criminal charges in Utah accusing her of having more than 200 pounds of marijuana in her vehicle in addition to other drugs.
Katie Beth Beadz, 36, of Midland, Oregon, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with possessing more than 100 pounds of marijuana, a second-degree felony; and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.
In November, Beadz was pulled over near 5600 W. Amelia Earhart Drive for failing to properly signal while changing lanes. The Utah Highway Patrol trooper who stopped Beadz "immediately" smelled marijuana as he walked up to her SUV to talk to her, according to charging documents.
Beadz, who said she was traveling from Oregon, had a couple of duffle bags in the back of her vehicle. When the trooper "confronted Beadz about the smell coming from the vehicle, she said 'sorry' and put her hands on her face," according to the charges. Troopers reported finding 185 vacuum-sealed bags contained 227 pounds of marijuana as well as cocaine.
The incident marked a continuation of an ongoing streak for the UHP of finding more than 100 pounds of marijuana being transported in single vehicles through the state in recent months.
