A Florida resident is charged with a felony after allegedly stealing pills he believed to be opioids. They were actually laxatives.
Peter Emery, 56, was videotaped taking pills from a safe, according to an affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
He later told police that he took two pills, thinking it was hydrocodone acetaminophen, a drug containing an opioid. When he found out it was “something else,” he threw away the pills, the report said.
The pills were Equate Gentle Laxatives, over-the-counter drugs that can help relieve constipation, according to a product listing on Walmart’s website.
Emery’s neighbor changed pills after he suspected Emery was stealing his pain reliever, WFLA-TV in Tampa reported. Roommate Jaime Reem also set up a camera to record the incident, the station said.
The affidavit states that Emery has previously been convicted of theft on several occasions.
Online records show that Emery was prosecuted for a felony, including numerous petty thefts on Thursday.
Records show that Emery was arrested by the Pinellas Park police near St. Petersburg, Florida. In his affidavit to the police, his full name is listed as Peter Hans Emery Jr.