Man allegedly ODs in front of FHP trooper during stop
A Royal Palm Beach man allegedly overdosed on fentanyl after he was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper for speeding, according to an arrest report.
Forrest Saxon Morelli, 24, is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and creating a public nuisance in a motor vehicle. He was released from the county jail on Tuesday after posting a $6,000 bond.
At about 10:20 a.m. Monday, Morelli was traveling westbound in a Honda SUV on Okeechobee Boulevard east of Oakton Preserve Way in West Palm Beach when he was clocked by a trooper going 65 mph in a 50-mph speed zone.
The trooper stated in the report that Morelli appeared nervous, stuttered when he spoke and appeared to be concealing something in the vehicle’s center console. Morelli gave the trooper consent to search the SUV and mentioned that a firearm might be in the vehicle.
The report does not indicate if a weapon was found, but the trooper did uncover a cigarette box with two pills inside. Morelli said the pills were heroin, but a field test confirmed they were fentanyl.
Morelli admitted buying three pills from a man at a gas station on Haverhill Road and 45th Street and added that he had ingested one of the pills prior to the traffic stop.
After Morelli was placed in the back of the FHP patrol car, he began to fall asleep while speaking to the trooper, the report said. Morelli was taken out of the car, but continued passing out while standing and talking. At one point, Morelli’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, the report said.
Morelli became sick to his stomach and began sweating profusely. A Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crew was called to the scene and Morelli was taken to JFK Medical Center North in West Palm Beach for treatment of an overdose before being booked into jail.