People tell police they are strangers, just happened to be in same car

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies noticed someone fleeing a Dodge Avenger during a routine traffic stop on William Hilton Parkway on Friday night.

Additional backup was called before the other three passengers were ordered out of the car, a police report states. It states an odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle while the passengers were removed.

The passengers were detained and read their Miranda rights for the safety of the deputies, the report states.

It states all three of the detained individuals waived their rights and agreed to speak with police. Yet, police quickly became suspicious of the answers given, the report states.

“During the questioning, the occupants did not know each other and did not know the person who fled,” the report states. “Since the occupants of the vehicle were clearly lying, no additional questions were asked.”

All the occupants were released by police after a search of the vehicle found no illegal drugs.

A misdemeanor traffic citation was issued.

This story was originally published June 17, 2017 at 6:13 PM with the headline "People tell police they are strangers, just happened to be in same car."