Man Uses Meth To Cope With Grief

A 44-year-old man confessed to using methamphetamine as a way to cope with grief, according to Summerville Police reports.

Officer Jo Stricklin stopped a blue 2011 Ford Fiesta that was weaving on Hwy. 114 around 2 a.m. Friday. The driver, Michael Long, of Alabama, confessed to drinking alcohol earlier in the day at a friend’s house.

As the officer checked the driver for weapons, a meth pipe and a syringe were found in Long’s shorts.

“I asked if it was, in fact, a pipe and he advised it was,” Officer Stricklin said.

The officer also found a clear plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine. Long allegedly confessed to using meth about eight hours earlier.

“While attempting to place Mr. Long in the back of my patrol car, he became very irate and began stating that he was hurting in his chest and would not get into the vehicle. After many commands from both myself and Deputy Derek Mitchell to get into the vehicle, I used a pain compliance technique by placing the back of my flashlight into his neck to make him get into the car,” Officer Stricklin said. “Mr. Long stated that he was going through a lot and that his wife had recently left him and he had gotten back on methamphetamine as a way to cope.”

Long was arrested for possession of meth, possession or use of drug-related objects and DUI, according to a police report.