With his saliva all over a bag of methamphetamine, a man was rushed to the hospital after trying to eat the evidence in what could have proven to be a lethal cover up.
The suspect, Danny Ray Murphy, 36, of Smithville is charged with possession of drugs and tampering with evidence.
Murphy was a passenger in a pickup pulled over by McMinnville patrolman Chris Odom who stopped the Ford Ranger because of dark window tint. The driver, Jeffery Bullington, was found not to have a driver license and he granted consent to let police search his vehicle.
“I found, in a passenger seat, a white crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine,” the officer said, noting that during questioning, Murphy admitted the meth belonged to him.
A further search turned up more evidence which made the officer worry for the suspect’s safety.
“I found two clear baggies with white residue and one of the baggies was wet and appeared to be ingested and spit back out,” the officer revealed, noting Murphy appeared to be under the influence. “I asked him how much of the methamphetamine he ingested and he stated more than he should have.”
An ambulance was called and Murphy was transported to Saint Thomas River Park Hospital for treatment of a possible overdose of meth.