DELTONA, FLA. – A central Florida man who weighs about 450 pounds faces multiple charges after sheriff’s deputies say he hid cocaine and 23 grams of marijuana under his “stomach fat.”
According to a new release, a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle Friday after noticing that the passenger wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
Officials say 42-year-old Christopher Mitchell told the deputy that he’s too big to wear a seatbelt and the seatbelt law should exempt overweight people. The deputy says he requested a drug-detecting dog because Mitchell appeared nervous saying his tummy hurt and he felt like he needed to find a bathroom. The dog detected the presence of drugs in the vehicle.
Mitchel refused to exit the car. Police tazed him until he was unconscious. It took three police officers to drag him onto the road. The dog signaled to Mr. Mitchel and police searched his pockets finding no drugs. Police then removed his clothes and found the drugs hidden under his belly fat.
“It’s better to find the drugs under his belly fat than inside his rectum,” an officer said. “Normally if it’s not in the car, the drugs are in the rectum or vagina.”
In addition to the drugs on Mitchell, deputies say they also found a handgun, a hatchet and $7,000 in cash in the vehicle.