A Chesterton resident and a Hobart resident were arrested Thursday on a charge of possession of marijuana, Porter Police said.

According to police, at 8:01 p.m. an officer on patrol observed fresh tire tracks in the snow leading to the back of the Kids Cove Park in the Porter County subdivision. On investigating, police said, the officer observed four male subjects in a vehicle who advised that they had all needed to urinate, so they drove into the park lot and did so.

While speaking with the four, however, the officer detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana in the vehicle and in a subsequent search recovered marijuana on the person of two of them, police said: the driver, Jeffrey M. Banfield, 18, of 3624 Drivers Way in Chesterton; and a back-seat passenger, Russell Lyda, 21, of Hobart.

Police said that a total of 13 grams of marijuana were recovered from both, in the form of 15 roaches, a cigarette, and two bags of loose leaves. Also recovered from Banfield’s vehicle wee rolling papers, police said.

Banfield was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, police said, while Lyda was charged with possession of marijuana. Lyda was also wanted on a warrant issued through White County and charging him with furnishing alcohol to a minor, police said.

Banfield and Lyda were transported to Porter County Jail.

Posted 1/8/2010