An Ohio man seemingly risked his life in an attempt to dodge a misdemeanor drug charge.
According to News 5 Cleveland, the incident occurred on July 3 in Portage County, Ohio, where State Trooper Charles Hoskin had pulled over a motorist speeding 94 mph in a 70-mph zone. Dashcam video released by the Ohio State patrol shows Hoskin approaching the vehicle before he quickly realizes something wasn’t quite right with the driver.
“Where you off to in a hurry?” the trooper is heard asking. “You all right? Can you breathe?”
Hoskin then directed the man to exit the vehicle and begins to perform the Heimlich maneuver to stop the man from choking. The footage shows the motorist struggling to breathe before he tries to make himself vomit. Hoskin attempts the maneuver for a second time, and successfully gets the man to cough up the substance blocking his airwaves.
“I’m sorry, officer. It was a bag of marijuana,” the man said when asked what he had swallowed.
“Do you really want to die over a minor misdemeanor?” Hoskin told the motorist as they waited for medical personnel to arrive.
According to News 5, the man received a misdemeanor summons for marijuana possession. He was also cited for speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt.
The man received a citation for speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt, according to Santiago. He also received a misdemeanor summons for illegal marijuana and was released from the scene. OSP Sgt. Ray Santiago confirmed the man was released at the scene.
