A Cudjoe Key man called the police after getting into a fight at a bar, but he was the one who ended up in handcuffs.
Andrew Paul Hrena, 32, was charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of marijuana.
Around 2:55 a.m. on Friday, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Winn Dixie parking lot in reference to a fight that took place at Coconuts Package and Lounge. There, deputies met with Hrena, who stated he was at Coconuts with a friend when a man he didn’t know approached him.
According to the report, Hrena stated he pushed the man down, but the man stood up and punched him in the face. Following this, the bartenders told Hrena to leave. Deputies observed a small laceration on the inside of Hrena’s bottom lip.
However, while speaking with Hrena, deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from Hrena’s vehicle. After being asked when he smoked in the car last, Hrena stated he smoked in the car several hours ago. Hrena then consented to a search of the vehicle.
Inside, deputies found a partially smoked marijuana cigarette, two Xanax pills and two Tramadol pills. They also found a substance known as “Kratom,” which according to the report, is a plant-based drug that is similar to an opioid. However, the report also noted that Kratom is sometimes used to cut other drugs. Kratom appears to be legal in Florida, although two failed Florida bills tried to make it a scheduled drug in 2016. The Drug Enforcement Administration currently lists Kratom as a “drug of concern.”
Deputies arrested Hrena, and transported him to the Monroe County Detention Center, where he was being held without bail.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
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