A Johnson City man was arrested late Monday afternoon after police responded to a report of an intoxicated person causing a disturbance at a local pharmacy.
Ronald Collins, 38, 130 Wichita St., Johnson City, was arrested shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday by Elizabethton Police Department Patrol Officer Joe Holsclaw and charged with public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to police reports, officers were dispatched to Walgreen’s at 214 Broad St. just minutes after 5 p.m. in reference to a report of an intoxicated person creating a disturbance within the store.
“Upon my arrival I located the subject at the register walking around in circles and rambling to himself,” Holsclaw said in his report on the incident. “Once I made contact with him he started telling me he wasn’t doing anything wrong, that he was just looking for some cough drops. The subject appeared to be intoxicated by some type of narcotic and kept flailing around swinging his arms around and speaking but not making any sense or keeping on topic.”
Officers were able to get the subject, who was later identified as Collins, to step outside the store so that they could speak with him further.
Holsclaw said in his report that once outside Collins continued “flailing around and speaking incoherently.”
Once outside, officers conducted a pat down search of Collins, and Holsclaw reported finding a used, .5c c syringe and a small plastic bag containing a green leafy substance identified as marijuana in Collin’s right front pants pocket.
Collins was then asked to perform a series of field sobriety tasks, but Holsclaw said in his report that Collins was unable to complete the tasks due to Collins’ inability to hold still.
After failing to complete the field sobriety tests, Collins was placed into custody by Holsclaw “due to his condition and the safety of himself and others.”
Collins was taken to the Carter County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on July 14.