Cranston City Council member Matthew R. Reilly was found passed out in his vehicle just before noon, according to a police statement and body camera footage of the interaction.
The New York Post reports that a police officer approached Reilly, shaking him and saying: “You were choking in your sleep. Someone was flagging me down about it.”
Reilly replies: “I have sleep apnea. I’m sorry,”. The officer snaps back: “Well, you have a crack pipe in your hands.”
Initially, Reilly denied having drugs in the vehicle and stated that he had smoked earlier. He said that he was headed to work at Family Court. Then, the police officers found crack cocaine on the dashboard of the vehicle, and Reilly admitted to relapsing after what he says was 13 years of sobriety. He said this was partly due to a “really bad divorce.”
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The politician admitted that he had a problem and needed help addressing this addiction. One of the officers on the scene answered: “If you’re getting help, what happened?”
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In the body cam video, the police officer can be seen testing the substance found in Reilly’s car and determining it to be crack cocaine.
According to the New York Post, a white, powdery substance covered the vehicle’s dashboard. Police officers also said that it had a burning smell to it.
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One of the officers said to Reilly: “This is a terrible situation, we’re all in a tough spot, but we gotta do what we gotta do by the numbers. It’ll help you in the end, and you’ll say to us a month from now, ‘Best thing that ever happened to me.’”
The officer added: “I look at you. You’re not the Matt Reilly we know,” and “Your health and well-being are worth more than your political career.”
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