BUTLER TWP — Three out-of-state residents are behind bars in lieu of $250,000 bond each after a weekend traffic stop allegedly turned up suspected marijuana and contraband.

Butler Township police Saturday arrested the trio — Terrell J. Tucker, 20, and Jaden L. Staples, 18, both of Detroit; and Emily M. Race, 19, of Warrenton, Va., on misdemeanor counts of possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Additionally, Staples is charged with false identification to law enforcement authorities, a misdemeanor, and Tucker is charged with reckless driving, a summary.

Police said the arrests came after they got a call around 12:10 p.m. for a reckless driver in a car with New York license plates traveling through the Moraine Pointe Plaza parking lot.

An officer, who stopped the car near the Home Depot store, reported smelling a “strong odor” of marijuana coming from the vehicle, according to charging documents.

Police eventually identified Tucker as the driver, and Staples and Race as the backseat passengers. Staples, however, initially gave a false name, police said.

Officers searched the vehicle and found suspected marijuana, documents said, that was in a plastic baggie in a book bag on the front passenger seat, in a pill bottle in a handbag and in a cigar wrapper.

Also allegedly found was a scale, a glass smoking pipe and two marijuana trays.

Police said Tucker claimed ownership of the marijuana both in the bookbag and the cigar wrapper, and the scale, pipe and trays. Staples told police the marijuana in the handbag was his, documents said.

While the handbag had Race's wallet and identification in it, police said, she denied the marijuana in it belonged to her.

District Judge Dave Kovach later arraigned all three defendants. Police said they asked for high bonds because the suspects live out of state and none of them have ties to Butler County.

The defendants were just passing through Butler, police said, when they were stopped and arrested.

Preliminary hearings for the suspects are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the office of District Judge Kevin O'Donnell in Butler Township. Online court records did not list attorneys for any of the defendants.