Police: Officer Pocketed Fentanyl a Month before Overdose

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — An investigation indicates a Maine police officer pocketed fentanyl during an arrest a month before he died from an accidental drug overdose last winter.

The Sun Journal reports that officer Nicholas Meserve, of Lewiston, was captured on video picking up drug evidence from the ground during a traffic stop in January. Police Chief Brian O'Malley said it appears that Meserve placed some of the evidence in his pocket while outside the view of other officers.

The drug involved in the arrest was fentanyl.

O'Malley said Meserve's death on Feb. 8 is a reminder that the opioid epidemic touches lives "regardless of their wealth, race, religion or profession."

He said the investigation shows no other police officers were aware of Meserve's substance abuse disorder or his possession of illegal drugs.

(Information from: Sun-Journal, http://www.sunjournal.com)