A 17-year-old male student was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia on Thursday after police K-9 units detected a marijuana pipe in his car in the southeast corner of the west parking lot at Century High School.

Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena said the search of the parking lot was conducted upon the request of the school administration. Following the discovery of the pipe, the student said he had stopped smoking marijuana a week ago, Buschena said.

Perry Lauer, school resources officer, said the citation will be reviewed by juvenile court, which makes a determination on further action based on the nature of the offense and the prior record of the alleged offender.

Six dogs were involved in the search of the parking lot, Lauer said, following the request of school administrators.

Lauer said the search was "something the school does regularly," but not at specific intervals. "Part of it has to do with scheduling and the availability of dogs," he said.

He said the school policy manual states that searches are routinely conducted.

School administrators did not comment on the incident.

(Reach reporter Nathan Denton at 250-8261 or at nathan.denton@;bismarcktribune.com)