Blood Tox screen for drugs came back negative, really???

[Soterik]

I'm on the periphery of a situation where a person was arrested and tested for drugs. The blood/urine tests all came back negative.

While I've been told that there are street drugs that can't be tested for... do they really exist? I've done a few searches, but am not really coming up with anything useful.

The blood/urine draw was at less than 2 hours from the arrest. The person arrested exhibited clear signs of being under the influence of drugs.

Thanks...

[Tobra]

Crazy people seem like they are on drugs. A lot of drugs do not stay in your system long

[masraum]

When testing for drugs would they test for things like OTC medicines? I know that there are folks that will take large doses of OTC stuff to escape reality.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Soterik

The person arrested exhibited clear signs of being under the influence of drugs.

Thanks...

A very dear friend of mine got arrested in downtown Dallas attacking street signs with a pair home made machetes attired in only his underwear.

Cops were pretty sure he was high as a kite but he doesn't do drugs and no surprise his tox screen came back negative.

He had a mental breakdown, borderline schizophrenic episode.

He's better now and got his life back together.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

A very dear friend of mine got arrested in downtown Dallas attacking street signs with a pair home made machetes attired in only his underwear.

Cops were pretty sure he was high as a kite but he doesn't do drugs and no surprise his tox screen came back negative.

He had a mental breakdown, borderline schizophrenic episode.

He's better now and got his life back together.

Wow!

Glad he's improved and doing better.

[Soterik]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

A very dear friend of mine got arrested in downtown Dallas attacking street signs with a pair home made machetes attired in only his underwear.

Cops were pretty sure he was high as a kite but he doesn't do drugs and no surprise his tox screen came back negative.

He had a mental breakdown, borderline schizophrenic episode.

He's better now and got his life back together.

Very interesting. Glad he's better, that's truly great, a good outcome. Any history of mental health or drug issues (no drugs now, but were there in the past?).

I'm dealing with a situation that I'm truly having difficulty wrapping my brain around, and the justice system is truly tough to deal with.

Thanks,
Eric

[porsche4life]

Did the test for alcohol? I know absinthe can make people do some crazy ****.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Soterik

Very interesting. Glad he's better, that's truly great, a good outcome. Any history of mental health or drug issues (no drugs now, but were there in the past?).

I'm dealing with a situation that I'm truly having difficulty wrapping my brain around, and the justice system is truly tough to deal with.

Thanks,
Eric

Prior history of depression / anxiety.

Other than the occasional mary jane, as in he might partake if offered but never sought or bought it himself, no drugs.

[Soterik]

I'm dealing with a vehicular homicide case from 2 years ago, where my son's fiancee was killed and her brother as well. Their father horifically injured and my son walked away, injured but able to walk.

The case is finally coming up to a plea deal this week. Myriad of delays, covid etc etc. The defense has finally turned over everything they have. The tox screen on her doesn't show anything but a small amount of THC far below our threshold in Washington. Defense says she had a psychotic break. No known history of mental illness, but defense now claims it was there and drug use was her method of coping, though none in the tox screen. History of hard drug abuse according to her family including info from her mother.

The prosecution lost a "prong" in the case with a negative tox screen. The plea deal as it sits is difficult for me.

tks,
Eric

[Soterik]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Prior history of depression / anxiety.

Other than the occasional mary jane, as in he might partake if offered but never sought or bought it himself, no drugs.

thanks, and truly glad he's ok.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Soterik

I'm dealing with a vehicular homicide case from 2 years ago, where my son's fiancee was killed and her brother as well. Their father horifically injured and my son walked away, injured but able to walk.

The case is finally coming up to a plea deal this week. Myriad of delays, covid etc etc. The defense has finally turned over everything they have. The tox screen on her doesn't show anything but a small amount of THC far below our threshold in Washington. Defense says she had a psychotic break. No known history of mental illness, but defense now claims it was there and drug use was her method of coping, though none in the tox screen. History of hard drug abuse according to her family including info from her mother.

The prosecution lost a "prong" in the case with a negative tox screen. The plea deal as it sits is difficult for me.

tks,
Eric

I am truly sorry for your loss and hope there is a resolution that brings you peace.

[hbueno]

I knew a young woman who had a psychotic break in her early 20's. Before that, she had no history of mental illness or drug abuse. She never recovered.

Apparently, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses are known to manifest in the late teens or early 20's, I realize that's not very helpful other than as an anecdotal data point. I'm sorry you are going through this terrible ordeal.

[Tobra]

If drug use were their method of coping, the drugs would be there. Has the perpetrator been in a mental institution since this happened?

[pwd72s]

Eric, Don't want to send this to PARF, so I'll only add that I'm sure you're aware of how much the justice system has become politicized.

[javadog]

There’s more than one drug screen they can do, I wouldn’t automatically assume that every commonly used recreational drug was in whatever screen they did. Obviously, you can figure out what screen they did which will rule out certain drugs. Then there used to be things like “bath salts,” which used to be available over the counter, and since those changed in composition almost constantly, I’m not sure if those would’ve shown up on a drug screen.

It’s been decades since I had anything to do with a drug testing laboratory, someone that is currently in that field could probably add a lot more information than I can.

[Soterik]

Originally Posted by Tobra

If drug use were their method of coping, the drugs would be there. Has the perpetrator been in a mental institution since this happened?

She's been in King County Jail since the incident (I can't call it an accident), $500K bond. It was a pedestrian/car.

My son is pretty much a shell of his former self in many ways.

Here's a link, so many lives affected. Mental illness then? and drugs as well....

Paul, the reason my son and Steven (Rebecca and Michaels dad) will probably agree to the plea deal is we stand a chance of an even shorter sentence in a trial.

https://patch.com/washington/seattle/woman-charged-seattle-crash-killed-brother-sister

thanks,
Eric

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Soterik

…..we stand a chance of an even shorter sentence in a trial.

This may be impossible to know but if less time than the deal is more likely than more time than the deal you gotta take for certain.

It’s not going to sit well nor should anyone expect it to.

After exec meetings i’d often have to sit my teams down and tell them there are always at least two choices and often neither one is good, but sometimes one is worse than the other so while what you are about to hear is stupid and sucks it really is the better of two bad options.

I would worry if they don’t support the deal and that would have ended up being the better outcome your son and the dad will have an even harder time with closure and moving forward with their lives.

I truly wish the best for you and yours.

I wish i had an answer for tou.

[pwd72s]

Damn...what a sad story. I can only imagine your son's grief... (edit) and you as well...

Knowing you, I'm sure you have good legal advice...but yeah, a trail is a crap shoot.

[creaturecat]

marginal utility of a longer sentence, given the odds w/new info? the plea may very well be a reasonable course of action - when taking into consideration the potential lessening of a trial's negative impact on the victims.
may the best possible outcome be with you.

[pavulon]

Drug screen usefulness can be limited by the breadth of the screened items. Mental illness tends to not wear off. Further, mental illness can be unleashed by recreational drug use or by skipping or underdosing or overdosing psychiatric medications. In the end, there are terrible things that happen with no satisfying answers and lots of people get stuck looking for the unknowable. Of course, people are at risk for problems stemming from being unable to accept the unknown.