Ridge woman arrested after Riverhead traffic stop, cops say

A traffic stop on a speeding car led to the arrest of a passenger late Thursday in Riverhead, State Police said.

Police said that not only was Lori Baussman, 27, of Ridge, in possession of hypodermic needles and drugs, but she also attempted to flee the scene on foot and provided troopers with a false name — to conceal the fact she had active warrants.

Police said the incident began on County Route 58, when a trooper from the Riverside barracks stopped a speeding gray Nissan at 11:30 p.m. During the stop, the trooper “detected a strong odor of marijuana,” and the driver said other occupants had smoked pot in the car earlier in the night, police said.

A search of the car and passengers found Baussman, a passenger, was in possession of used hypodermic needles, two glass pipes and a metallic spoon containing a white residue believed to be heroin, police said. During the arrest, she attempted to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended, police said. Baussman, who has warrants issued in Suffolk, gave a fake name, police said.

Baussman was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hypodermic instrument, resisting arrest and criminal impersonation. She was scheduled for arraignment on Friday, police said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”