Utica Police responded to four separate bath salts-related incidents over a period of three days late last week, sometimes involving violent and aggressive behavior.
Three people were hospitalized, and one 20-year-old is facing criminal charges, authorities said.
¿ On Saturday, police said they were called to Stanley’s Bar on Court Street at about 9 p.m. and found a 41-year-old woman sweating profusely and sitting down with a blank stare on her face. When the officer asked the woman what was wrong, police said she lunged at the officer and tried to bite him. The woman continued to scream that she wanted to kill someone and eat them while the officer restrained her. The woman was hospitalized, and her identity was not released.
¿ A domestic dispute on Friday drew police to a residence on Downer Avenue, where authorities said 20-year-old Aubrey Vails was acting very aggressively towards his mother and her husband. Police said the family had left the residence and were afraid to go back inside because Vails had threatened to kill them.
Officers entered the residence and found that Aubrey had ripped his bedroom door off the hinges. He was finally found in the driveway, where police said he was punching a motor vehicle.
Police said Aubrey was taken into custody on two counts of fourth-degree mischief.
¿ On Thursday morning, police said a 24-year-old woman was hospitalized for taking bath salts and suffering from hallucinogenic effects on Genesee Street, police said.
¿ Later on Thursday, a 20-year-old man told police he was suffering chest pains and withdrawal symptoms after taking bath salts five days prior. Police said the man was hospitalized. He told police he had purchased the bath salts from a downtown smoke shop.
Authorities have said that the synthetic drug known as bath salts can cause extreme paranoia, delusions, super human strength, invincibility, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts and aggressive and violent behavior. Authorities said the drug contains the chemicals Mephedrone and MDPV, which can cause brain damage or permanent psychosis after a single use.
