A man in his 20s who tested negative for drugs at a police station used drugs again just minutes after walking out — and was caught a second time.
The 12th Criminal Division of the Ulsan District Court sentenced the man, identified only as A, to three years in prison on charges of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics, and ordered him to complete 40 hours of a drug addiction rehabilitation program, the court announced Tuesday.
According to the ruling, multiple reports came in on the evening of Feb. 21 that a car was blocking a road in downtown Ulsan and not moving.
Officers responded to the scene and administered a breathalyzer test on the driver, A, but detected no alcohol.
Police suspected A may have taken drugs and took him to the station for a urine screening test. The result came back negative, and A was released.
Just eight minutes later, however, new reports came in that a car was again blocking the road and not moving. Officers who responded found it was A's vehicle.
An officer knocked on the driver's side window and called out to A, but received no response. A was found sitting blankly with glazed eyes.
Police ultimately reached through a gap in the slightly lowered window, unlocked the door and pulled A out of the vehicle. On his clothing, officers found an e-cigarette device with synthetic cannabis attached and a liquid cartridge believed to contain synthetic cannabis.
When pressed by police, A admitted he had inhaled synthetic cannabis inside the car. Several additional liquid cartridges containing synthetic cannabis were found inside the vehicle.
It emerged that after the initial negative test, A had driven out of the police station parking lot and used synthetic cannabis again on the way out.
The court said in its sentencing rationale that A "committed the offense while on probation for a similar crime, making him highly culpable, and has been evading responsibility by making excuses."
betterj@heraldcorp.com
