Tampering with evidence may have a different meaning after a sheriff’s deputy’s sweet tooth landed him in the hospital.
An internal investigation is in progress following a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy falling ill at a police substation in Texas after consuming drugs that were seized the day before. Last Wednesday morning, the unnamed deputy started feeling sick at the Cypresswood substation in northwest Harris County after he reportedly ate what he thought was candy in small clear bags. He was taken to a local hospital and released the same day, cleared of any danger to his health.
“A deputy fell ill while at the station, was transported to the hospital and was released (Wednesday) morning,” according to a text obtained by ABC 13 from Dep. Thomas Gilliland. “We’re not sure what exactly caused his illness, and we’re reviewing the situation.”
The day before the incident, drugs were found during a safety check at an apartment on Spring Cypress, witnesses said. Around midday, a resident called the sheriff’s office to report a break-in at the apartments. When deputies arrived and did a walkthrough, there was no one evidence of trespassing on the premises.
Instead, police stumbled upon excessive amounts of marijuana in bags along with boxes filled with edibles and mushrooms ready for distribution. Some of the small bright colored edibles are what the deputy in question believed resembled candy, and one of the boxes was left unattended at the substation where the deputy became ill.
In an interview, retired Texas Rangers Chief Tony Leal told ABC 13, “Once you remove evidence, then it’s got to be in the custody of someone or in a place that cannot be tampered with, period.”
