Suspect: '"I smoked crack earlier, that was just Poligrip you seen"

A man tried to hide his crack cocaine by eating it, according to a Mississippi County Sheriff's Department report.

Deputies arrested 58-year-old Tommy Turner on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence, following a traffic stop near Bassett on Monday.

"I smoked crack earlier, that was just Poligrip you seen," Turner reportedly told Sgt. Jeremy Sharp during a search.

The report said police noticed a white Jeep cross the centerline, as it was traveling west on Highway 118 in the Bassett area.

Officers spoke with the driver, Alexis Winford, and front passenger, Turner.

"While speaking with Ms. Winford I observed an open Bud Light can sitting in the center console," Sharp wrote in his report. "I had dispatch run both of their identification cards and had Ms. Winford exit the vehicle. During this time Mr. Turner was talking very loudly and slurring his words. Mr. Turner appeared to be heavily intoxicated."

Winford gave Sharp consent to search the vehicle and appeared nervous, the report said.

"I then had Mr. Turner exit the front passenger seat," the report said. "Upon doing so Mr. Turner bladed himself away from me and dropped his left hand. While doing so I heard a "ping" sound come from the passenger door panel. Mr. Turner voluntarily emptied the contents of his pockets and nothing illegal was located at the time. I then looked in the passenger door panel where Mr. Turner had dropped the unknown object. I located a slender metal object in the door panel along with some paperwork. Slender objects such as these are commonly used"push rod" with crack-cocaine users. Nothing else was located in the vehicle."

However, as he spoke with Turner, Sharp noticed a white bundled object in his mouth.

"I asked Mr. Turner to open his mouth," the report said. "Mr. Turner then opened his mouth but looked straight up. I then observed Mr. Turner's tongue move this object around inside his mouth. I then instructed Mr. Turner to spit out the suspected crack-cocaine. Mr. Turner then closed his mouth and began to destroy the evidence. Mr. Turner then opened his mouth and said "see, I don't have anything." I clearly seen pieces of crack-cocaine on his tongue and on the roof of his mouth."

Sharp wrote that Winford also saw the substance on Turner's tongue and he detained Turner.

"I then retrieved a sterile cotton swab from inside my vehicle and swabbed the inside of Mr. Turner's mouth," the report said. "This swab then immediately field tested positive for crack -cocaine. Mr. Turner denied eating any drugs. Mr. Turner stated "I smoked crack earlier, that was just Poligrip you seen."

"I then observed a small bulge in Mr. Turner's shirt pocket," the report continued. "A single crack rock was located on the corner of his shirt pocket. Ms. Winford seen this object I retrieved and Mr. Turner immediately made the spontaneous statement "it's crack....damn I forgot about that."