Cranston, Rhode Island police arrested a councilman this week and charged him with drug possession after an officer found him asleep in his car with a crack pipe and a lighter in his hand.
The officer’s body camera captured the incident with Matthew Reilly on May 15. Reilly can be seen with his mouth open and his head thrown back as the officer approaches.
“I can’t really let you go. You were literally choking in your sleep. Someone reported me,” the officer told Reilly.
Reilly replied, “I have sleep apnea, I’m sorry.”
But the officer told Reilly he saw the crack pipe and the lighter in his hand. Reilly admitted he had struggled with addiction in the past and had recently relapsed.
The body camera video lasts nearly an hour as paramedics check Reilly and other officers arrive to test for substances found in the vehicle. The white rock-like substance tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl.
An officer also found a Chore Boy scouring pad in the glove compartment. Chore Boy contains copper and metal and is commonly used to make crack pipes.
A sergeant told Reilly he needed to attend a drug treatment program.
Reilly said he had just started using drugs again and bought the drugs he was using the day before.
The video was recorded on May 15.
“You are not the Matt Reilly we know. Your health and wellbeing is more important than any political career,” the sergeant told Reilly.
Reilly was also concerned that the media would find out about his arrest. The officers told him that the arrest records were public.
Reilly was taken to jail, processed and released.
Reilly entered rehab and resigned as city councilman, submitting a one-line letter published by NBC’s Providence, Rhode Island affiliate WJAR.
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