A Florida man is facing felony charges after allegedly stealing pills he thought were opioids. They were actually laxatives.
Peter Emery, 56, was caught on video taking pills from a lock box, according a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office affidavit.
He later told police that he took two pills thinking they were hydrocodone acetaminophen — a narcotic that contains an opioid. When he learned that they were “something else,” he threw the pills away, the report says.
The pills were “Equate gentle laxatives” — an over-the-counter medication that can help relieve constipation, according to the product’s listing on Walmart’s website.
Emery’s roommate switched the pills after suspecting Emery was stealing his pain medication, WFLA-TV in Tampa reports. Roommate Jayme Ream also set up a camera to record the incident, the station says.
Emery has multiple prior theft convictions, an arrest affidavit says.
Online records show that Emery was booked on felony charges including multiple counts of petit theft on Thursday.
Emery was arrested by Pinellas Park Police near St. Petersburg, Florida, records show. A police affidavit lists his full name as Peter Hans Emery Jr.
———
© 2019 USA Today
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
