Helena teen looking to buy pot pushes wrong number on phone, accidentally texts sheriff

Helena teen accidentally texts sheriff to buy pot

HELENA, Mont. — General rule of thumb: when looking to buy marijuana, don’t text the sheriff.

Authorities say 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 kids knew that they were going to be at a particular store at a particular time,” Dutton told The Associated Press.

The detective spotted two teenage boys and a man at the store and called the phone 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 was the father of one of the teens and was “unaware of what was going on,” Dutton said.

No citations were issued after the parents of the boys, who were 15 and 16, got involved.

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

Information from: Independent Record, www.helenair.com