Marion County authorities arrested three men, who claimed to be

protesters, during a traffic stop after officers found fireworks and marijuana inside.

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deputy at 8:40 a.m. Sunday stopped a gray Subaru Outback that was traveling southbound on Interstate 5, near milepost 245, after he recorded it traveling at 81 mph.

When the deputy made contact with the driver, William Maxwell Patterson, 21, he reportedly smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the car. When he searched the car, the deputy found a bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Inside the car was also Emery Nicholas Luff, 21, and Zachary Salzwedel-Kemp, 20, and all three are from Klamath Falls.

Inside the car, the deputy also found a number of firecrackers and two commercially made mortars inside glass canning jars, designed to be fired into the area during professional pyrotechnic displays. One was found in the floorboard of the vehicle, and the other was allegedly in Luff's jacket.

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The deputy also found two gas masks, protective eye goggles and a safety helmet. All three men told the deputy that they had spent the night at the Occupy Portland demonstration, and they brought the mortars and safety equipment to the demonstration in preparation of the expected confrontation between police and protesters Sunday morning.

The three had been at the demonstration during the confrontation Sunday morning and had left about an hour before the vehicle was stopped. During that confrontation, a police officer was injured by a firework, but the three men denied being involved in the incident.

When asked about the explosives, the three men told authorities that they knew the canning jar would explode, causing glass shrapnel to fly and possibly cause injury.

All three men were arrested and booked at the Marion County jail. Patterson is charged with unlawful possession of fireworks and possession of a controlled substance. He was released from jail.

Luff is charged with unlawful possession of destructive device, unlawful manufacture of destructive device and unlawful possession of fireworks.

and is expected in court at 3 p.m. Monday.

Salzwedel-Kemp is charged with unlawful possession of fireworks and possession of a controlled substance. He was cited and released from jail.

Portland Police Bureau officers were advised about the discovery of the mortars and fireworks and the subsequent arrests.

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