Authorities say a Florida man was arrested after he called 911 and requested a deputy “test the methamphetamine” he purchased, worrying it was actually bath salts.
Thomas Eugene Colucci, 41, called sheriff’s deputies to a home in Spring Hill around 7:00 p.m. Thursday, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said in a press release. When deputies arrived at the scene Thursday, Colucci told them that after using a bit of methamphetamine he purchased from a man at a bar, he believed it was bath salts, according to the HSCO.
He added that he was an experienced drug user and “knew what it should feel like,” deputies said. Colucci then turned over two baggies, each containing a white crystal-like substance, to a deputy.
The HCSO said:
Colucci told deputies he wanted his methamphetamine tested, as he did not want other people to purchase “fake” methamphetamine from the individual who sold it to him. Colucci wanted deputies to “put the person in trouble” for selling dangerous drugs; however, he was unable to provide a name or any contact info for this individual.
A deputy obliged and tested the substances in the baggies, both of which turned up positive for methamphetamine, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies then arrested Colucci, who subsequently told them he was experiencing chest pains, the release noted. He was then taken to a hospital where he was medically cleared by a doctor and taken to the Hernando County Detention Center, authorities said.
He has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, the HCSO said. His bond was set at $7,000, which is $5,000 for the methamphetamine possession charge and $1,000 each for the paraphernalia charges, online inmate records show.
Colucci was previously arrested in July of 2018 and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, driving under the influence (DUI) .15 or above, DUI damage to property or a person, and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, online court records show. Prosecutors declared the first three charges “Nolle Prosequi,” while he was convicted on the DUI damage to property charge and leaving the scene of an accident charge and sentenced to one year or probation, court records show.
Under common law, prosecutors use a Noelle Prosequi “to declare voluntarily ending a criminal case after the filing of formal charges but before the case could be dismissed by the court or a verdict could be rendered at trial,” the Sammis Law Firm, based in Tampa, Florida, noted.
The sheriff’s office welcomed any other individuals questioning the legitimacy of their illegal narcotics to reach out to the HCSO for testing, which “is pleased to provide this service, FREE of charge.”