A Rhode Island city councilman was caught passed out with an alleged crack pipe and lighter in his hand, and the arrest was captured on police body camera footage.
41-year-old Matthew Reilly was found sleeping in a car on Monday by a police officer who said he was flagged down by a concerned citizen who saw Reilly choking in his sleep.
Reilly is a councilman for the city of Cranston, the second largest city in the state.
The video captures the officer express shock when he looks at Reilly’s identification.
“No way, dude, really?” he says.
Reilly tried to persuade the officer to let him go by claiming that he had sleep apnea, but the officer pointed out on the video that he cannot ignore the crack pipe because of his body camera recording the footage.
When further questioned by the officer, Reilly admitted that he had relapsed and said that he had just gone through a difficult divorce. Investigators said the vehicle was littered with trash and personal items.
He was arrested after officers found a substance in the car that tested positive for crack cocaine.
Another officer expressed concern that the driver’s seat of the vehicle had white powder all of it, and if the suspect’s mother came to pick up the car that she might be exposed to crack cocaine or even fentanyl.
He was arrested and charged with one count of possession of crack cocaine.
At the end of the video, Reilly expresses his concern that knowledge about the arrest might be obtained by the media.
Reilly has since stepped down as the chairman of the Cranston Republican Party. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 15.
Council President Jessica Marino said in a statement that the charge against Reilly is “very concerning and disappointing” but that he was innocent until proven guilty.
Here’s the video of the incident in Rhode Island:
Bodycam: Councilman Arrested After Allegedly Smoking Crack, Passing Out in Car After Courtwww.youtube.com
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