An Orlando man, who was arrested and accused of crystal meth possession, has filed legal action against the city for damages related to his inappropriate arrest. Another defendant has also been named for negligence in the manufacture of a faulty drug test kit intended for use in the field. The man alleges that he was wrongly arrested for meth possession when a police officer confused crumbs of Krispy Kreme doughnut glaze on the floor of his car for methamphetamine residue.
The man is asking for damages of $15,000 in his lawsuit relating to the arrest, which happened last December. If he is successful in the litigation, a judgment award of $15,000 would allow him to purchase approximately 15,151 99-cent doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.
The man’s court documents allege that the arresting police officer should have been able to spot the difference between doughnut glaze and crystal meth. The officer especially should have noted the difference, court documents say, when the man indicated that the alleged residue was the result of his doughnut addiction. According to news reports, the man informed the officer, “It’s icing from a doughnut!”
The accused driver, who enjoys a Krispy Kreme doughnut every other Wednesday, later had his charges dropped when a crime lab determined that the alleged methamphetamine was merely icing. This case is an excellent example of how motorists are often wrongly accused of drug possession simply because a mysterious, non-narcotic material was found in their vehicles. The case also highlights how important it is for wrongly accused individuals to defend themselves against their charges in Florida.
Source: New York Daily News, “Florida man arrested after cops mistook his Krispy Kreme doughnut glaze for meth files $15G suit,” Meg Wagner, Oct. 22, 2016