How can something as seemingly innocent as a Krispy Kreme affection lead to a drug case in Florida? The answer is both simple and very troubling: unreliable drug testing by police.
As we shared in an August post, a man was arrested last year following a traffic stop because police believed doughnut icing in his car was methamphetamine. A drug test reportedly confirmed the officers’ hunch, only later to be determined faulty.
There is an update in the Florida false arrest case. Due to the negligence of the police and the inaccurate nature of the tests, the man who went through the drug arrest is suing the police as well as the maker of the faulty test.
This true story of a man being arrested because of having eaten doughnuts in his car should scare all Florida residents. How many of us have traces of food or drink in our cars? Especially those with kids have all sorts of messes in and around our vehicles. Who is to say that a bad drug test couldn’t land you or someone you love in the middle of a stressful drug arrest?
This case could also serve as a lesson that you have rights, rights that the man in this case is fighting for. There are professional standards that should be met in the course of serving justice. An arrest and accusation of committing a drug offense are life-changing events. It can be traumatic for the person and have a long-term impact on his reputation in his community.
An arrest should be the result only when authorities have lived up to the highest of professional standards and respected the constitutional rights of those whom they serve. If drug tests used to support arrests are unreliable, then perhaps a lawsuit addressing that injustice will help shed light on this reality and encourage change within the system.
Maybe an unreliable drug test or negligent investigation has gotten you into legal trouble. More than scaring our readers, we want this Florida story to instill hope among drug crime suspects that an arrest and charge do not mean that you are guilty or should be found guilty of the charge against you.
Police screw up. Tests can be wrong and unreliable. Rights are violated. A faulty drug test is one reason why your drug possession case could end in your favor. A trusted, experienced criminal defense attorney can ask the right questions and challenge any tests that contributed to your arrest. Your attorney can help reveal, too, if your rights have been violated and what options might be available to you as a result of that injustice.