Police investigating complaint of drugs in food

Floyd County police are seeing if anyone else has an experience similar to that of a complaint filed with the department alleging that an extra substance was put in food or a drink from Taco Bell on Martha Berry Highway recently, according to Mark Wallace, assistant police chief.

Wallace said Sgt. Chris Fincher is leading the investigation, which was kicked off after the complaint was filed on July 21 — a day after the incident — and a social media torrent picked up about similar instances, further drawing the attention of police.

Police have not determined what the substance was or even if there was something in the food or drink, Wallace said. Some of the effects described are comparable to something like a date rape drug, he said. According to the complaint: Police were called to meet a woman at Redmond Regional Medical Center on the afternoon of July 21 after she reported she had possibly been drugged.

She told police she had visited Taco Bell on July 20 around 12:30 p.m., ordering food and a water. A female worker gave her a Mountain Dew in addition to her order. The woman said she didn’t order the extra beverage, but the worker told her to take the drink and keep it for later “in case she needs it.”

The woman thought the Mountain Dew “tasted funny” and then reported not being able to remember anything for about six hours. She went to Redmond but blood tests did not find anything in her system.

After the complaint was filed, police were able contact a second complainant who has a product that may have some of the substance in it, Wallace said. Police are in the process of trying to analyze it.

Wallace said police hadn’t made contact with officials at the local Taco Bell as of Tuesday.