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Booze and blunts proved to be the wrong combination for two Constantine High School teens driving in Dowagiac early last August — and a Cass County jury on Tuesday made it clear that such actions are unlawful.

Stephanie Lewis, 18, of White Pigeon, was convicted for possession of marijuana, during a trial held at the Cass County Law & Courts Building in Cassopolis, according to a news release from the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office. The jury deliberated for just 25 minutes before returning a guilty verdict.

Kerrigan Harris, the other defendant in the case, the 18-year-old driver, an Edwardsburg resident at the time of the offense, pleaded guilty on Sept. 24 for possession of marijuana in exchange for a dismissal of her open intoxicants charge.  She received probation.

Lewis sat in the courtroom Tuesday while officers testified at her trial to a sequence of events establishing an open bottle of Tanqueray gin and marijuana blunts located in a vehicle stopped by police on South Street in Dowagiac on early Sunday morning, Aug. 17, 2014.

Testimony during the trial established that Lewis was a passenger in a Honda Accord driven by a female friend at the time. The Honda was pulled over by Cass County Deputy Mike Fall just after midnight for an improper U-turn in Dowagiac.  Fall immediately observed a bottle of gin in the back seat of the vehicle.  As the gin container was open and both the driver and Lewis were under the age of 21, they were removed from the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the Accord revealed two marijuana blunts — one in the driver’s purse and the other located in the center console of the vehicle. A blunt is a hollowed out cigar with the tobacco being replaced with marijuana.

In addition to the open alcohol, police also located copious amounts of booze in the trunk, including Bud Light beer, Coors Light beer, Bud Light Strawberita and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Testimony established that at the scene, Lewis admitted to possession of the marijuana blunt in the console.  Both young women were arrested for possession of marijuana that evening.  All marijuana items were seized by Deputy Fall and sent to the Michigan State Laboratory for testing.  Both items submitted came up positive for marijuana.

Despite her admissions on scene, the defendant switched her story at trial, claiming on the stand that all the marijuana belonged to the driver and that Lewis was simply trying to protect her friend.

The jury was not convinced by her new version of the incident, handing out the guilty verdict in less than half an hour.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kirk Metzger tried the case for the people.

“Marijuana and alcohol are both bad for kids,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. “Mix them, it’s even worse.  Add wheels and it can be deadly.  We are fortunate tragedy didn’t occur.”

Fitz also scolded Lewis for her inconsistencies.

“Lying to police or in court is serious business,” he said. “Either one can result in criminal charges.”

Fourth District Court Judge Stacey Rentfrow set the Lewis case for sentencing on Aug. 13, at 9 a.m. She faces up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 at that time.