BELFAST, Maine — A Deer Isle man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly ate a large amount of drugs while in the back of a police cruiser on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Ryan Morey, 27, came to the attention of police when they received a report of an erratic driver on Route 3 at about 1 p.m. Sunday, according to a report from Detective Sgt. Bryan Cunningham of the Belfast Police Department. Officer Rick Smith used his police lights and siren to try to stop the vehicle, but it took some time before Morey pulled over, Cunningham said.
Smith noticed Morey had droopy eyes and was nodding off, according to Cunningham, and did a field sobriety test on him. The officer arrested Morey and charged him with driving under the influence of drugs, and also found a bag of pills in his vehicle that included the controlled drugs Klonopin and lorazepam. Morey was handcuffed and put into the police cruiser, but Cunningham said the suspect still apparently managed to find a way to reach through the cage separating the back seat from the front seat, find the bag of pills on the front seat of the cruiser and eat some of them.
Police took Morey to Waldo County General Hospital, where emergency personnel administered Narcan to him, Cunningham said.
In addition to the charge of operating under the influence, Morey was charged with failure to stop for a police officer, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and falsifying physical evidence.
“That’s because he ate the evidence,” Cunningham said regarding the final charge.
Morey posted bail of $2,000 cash from the hospital and was released.