There was $10,521 in cash in their glovebox, but the two people in the car told a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper it wasn't theirs - and had no idea how it got there.

"The male had no idea the money was even in the vehicle,"said Julie Lawyer, a Burleigh County assistant state's attorney.

"The female said the male gambled, but (she) didn't know anything about the money,"Lawyer said.

The two had rented a Pontiac Grand Prix in Chicago, where they live, on April 3, and were stopped April 4 on Highway 83. They told the trooper they were coming from Minot after a visit with her brother, who is stationed at the Minot Air Force Base, and were on their way home.

The rental car was due back in Chicago on April 6, and the car didn't have any luggage or any other clothing in it, Lawyer said.

Lawyer said the money was found during a search initiated after the trooper found out the driver was driving with a suspended license.

The money was put back in the glovebox, and a trained narcotics dog was brought in and "hit on" the glovebox," Lawyer said.

But since no drugs were found in the vehicle, no arrests were made on drug charges.

However, the driver, Vermell Fields, 31, of Chicago, was arrested for driving under suspension. The man traveling with her, who had a different Chicago address then hers, posted the $250 bond. Fields failed to appear for a June 8 court hearing.

Lawyer said the money was seized during the arrest, and a legal notice was published Monday in the Bismarck Tribune to attempt to find the owners of the money, who have 20 days from the time of the posting to claim the funds.

If no one comes forward, a judgment of default will be pursued and the money will go into the highway patrol's drug forfeiture fund. Lawyer said the money will be used for such things as drug prosecution and drug enforcement.

"This is not the biggest (amount) we've seen,"Lawyer said. "But we usually don't see this amount. This is pretty big for around here."

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com.)