Thread: Missouri Cabbie Not Chewing Gum

» Click Here to Print This Page «
Missouri Cabbie Not Chewing Gum
Posted: May 14th, 2007 10:59 AM EDT

St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri)



May 12--An alert police officer caught a cab driver Friday chewing a controlled substance that hasn't been seen in St. Joseph.

St. Joseph Police Department Officer Brett Kelly was dispatched at about 4:15 a.m. Friday to 4016 Frederick Blvd. because a man allegedly failed to pay his cab fare.

The officer observed the 32-year-old cab driver from Kansas City chewing a greenish substance that he remembered learning about in a class on controlled substances, said Capt. Kevin Castle, a police spokesman.

The suspected drug is called khat (pronounced cot) or Catha Edulis. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration reports that khat is a flowering evergreen shrub or small tree native to East Africa and Southern Arabia. The fresh young leaves, twigs, and shoots can be chewed. Common side effects include anorexia, hypertension, insomnia and gastric disorders. Compulsive use may result in manic behavior with grandiose delusions or a paranoid illness and hallucinations.

The driver, who works for a Kansas City-based taxi service, was taken into custody for an investigation on a possible charge of possession of a controlled substance.

Mr. Kelly issued a summons to Marvin Lopez Tercero, 26, for refusal of a passenger to pay a legal fare. A check revealed that Mr. Tercero is an illegal alien, Mr. Castle said. Mr. Tercero is being held in the Buchanan County Jail pending his release to the U.S. Immigration Service.

Copyright (c) 2007, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy



News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.


Printable version may be for personal use only. Content may not be duplicated, re-used or otherwise replicated without expressed, written consent from Officer.com and/or the original author/source.

Visit Officer.com daily for the latest industry news, commentary, features and more.
http://www.officer.com/article/article. ... eSection=1

Hey, just what our kids need, a new drug to foul up their minds.