14 DAY TRIAL // Smoking crack cocaine is bad and can get people in all sorts of trouble. Smoking crack cocaine while lying in a hospital bed, hooked to an oxygen mask, is a sure way to injure yourself and possibly others, maybe even burn down an entire building.
A middle-aged man in the US learned this the hard way this holiday season, when he and his friend decided to indulge in this illegal habit and nearly set fire to the North Okaloose Medical Center in the city of Crestview in Florida.
Crack cocaine and oxygen masks aren't the best of friends
The police officers in charge of handling this case say that, this past December 24, the man, whose identity has not yet been shared with the public, was looked after at the North Okaloose Medical Center Intensive Care Unit.
What with Christmas being right around the corner, one of his friends, identified as 54-year-old Lee Vern Cook, decided to pay him a visit and try to cheer him up. The thing is that, instead of getting his buddy some balloons, the man got him crack cocaine.
Probably looking to get in the mood for the holiday season, the two men saw fit to try and smoke the drug using a homemade pipe. When Lee Vern Cook lit it, the gas coming out of his friend's oxygen mask caught fire. In just a few moments, the flames engulfed the patient's gown and his bed linens.
Luckily, hospital employees saved the day
The good news is that, shortly after the 54-year-old man and his friend started this fire in the North Okaloosa Medical Center Intensive Care Unit, hospital employees intervened and managed to put it out before the flames got out of control.
It is understood that Lee Vern Cook and the patient alone suffered burns as a result of this incident. The 54-year-old's friend was transferred to the burn unit. Lee Vern Cook, on the other hand, was arrested and taken to the local Okaloosa County Jail.
What's interesting is that, as it turns out, the man did no settle for bringing just crack cocaine to hospital. On the contrary, he also had a gun with him at the time he and his buddy got busy smoking the drug in the Intensive Care Unit, Fan Sided informs.
Hence, the man is now facing charges for possession of a controlled substance, of drug paraphernalia and of a firearm. Besides, he stands accused of arson. For the time being, it is unclear whether his friend will too have to answer in front of a court of law for his actions.