OCALA, Fla. (WFLA) – An unusual arrest unfolded in a Publix parking lot, where a Florida man was taken into custody after allegedly blowing fentanyl into a deputy’s face. The man, according to body camera footage, tried to convince officers that a substance found in his pocket was merely sugar.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies tracked down a vehicle linked to Jesse James McAuliffe, who was wanted for violating probation. Upon locating the car, deputies approached with caution, drawing their weapons as McAuliffe exited the vehicle, as seen in the video.
Observing signs of drug activity, deputies noted a tourniquet slipping from McAuliffe’s arm and the presence of syringes inside his car, raising further suspicion.
Upon searching McAuliffe, a deputy discovered a bag containing fentanyl in his pocket. Despite this, McAuliffe insisted the substance was sugar, according to the police report.
In the footage, a deputy skeptically questions McAuliffe’s claim, asking, “Sugar? OK. You carry sugar in a baggie like that?”
“Yes, I do,” the suspect responds. “My sugar gets low, and I need to eat it.”
(Photo courtesy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
The video shows a deputy finding a bottle cap in the man’s pocket, which officials claim was filled with melted fentanyl.
McAuliffe then blew the fentanyl from the cap “directly into Deputy Qubaisy’s face,” the sheriff’s office said. MCSO said this action was an attempt to destroy evidence.
(Photo courtesy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
“I was just trying to blow that off your hand so you didn’t get it in your mouth,” McAuliffe says, as seen in the video. “You might get sick from it. Don’t touch it,” he says a moment later.
Deputies found additional pre-filled and used syringes containing fentanyl in the man’s car, MCSO said.
(Photo courtesy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
“Even a small amount of fentanyl can be life-threatening,” the sheriff’s office said. “These are real risks our deputies face every day.”
McAuliffe was transported to Marion County Jail and charged with possession of fentanyl, tampering with evidence, and possession of drug paraphernalia in addition to his outstanding warrant.