Man Passed Out, Needle In Hand, In Store Bathroom

SARASOTA, FL — A 29-year-old Sarasota man’s alleged decision to do cocaine in a convenience store bathroom Friday morning ended with a trip to jail. According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the man was found by deputies passed out in a bathroom stall with a needle still in his hand.

The case against David Lee began to unfold just before 5:30 a.m. April 14 when deputies were called to a convenience store at 6212 S. Tamiami Trail about a man locked in a bathroom. The first deputy on the scene found a man “who appeared to be sleeping with several items of drug paraphernalia within his reach,” an arrest report stated. “The subject was holding a needle in his left hand and had a small plastic container with narcotics inside next to him.”

Sign up for the Sarasota Patch newsletter and alerts!

Fire rescue crews were called to the scene to assess the man’s health status. Lee, the report said, woke up when rescue personnel shook his foot. He was able to stand up at that point and spoke with authorities, the arrest report noted. Lee told deputies he had used cocaine in the bathroom, the report added.

When deputies began digging into what Lee had in his possession, they found two baggies with .8 grams of cocaine, the report said. Another two baggies tested field positive for about .2 grams of heroin. Two pills were also found, along with spoons with residue, seven needles, four crack pipes and other paraphernalia.

Lee was booked into the Sarasota County Jail on possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of narcotic equipment charges. He remained in jail late Friday morning in lieu of $5,000 bond.

Keep up with that's happening by following Sarasota Patch on Facebook.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office