An Odessa man is facing multiple drug charges after he crashed his car and admitted he’d taken drugs before getting behind the wheel. Officers also found multiple drugs on him and in his vehicle.
According to an Odessa Police Department report, first-responders found Howard Harris, 41, passed out behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion following a wreck at 42nd and San Jacinto streets around 8:30 p.m. Saturday and he came around after paramedics administered the opioid overdose medication Narcan. The paramedics also found a small container with 0.42 grams of heroin in one of his pockets.
While at the hospital, Harris told officers he’d taken half of a fentanyl-laced pill while at a West Odessa gameroom, but left when he began to feel unwell, the report stated. The last thing he remembered was driving past the westside Walmart.
Officers at the scene of the crash found a needle with a brown liquid inside, 10.1 grams of methamphetamine, eight Xanax bars, and two amphetamine pills, the report stated.
Harris refused to take field sobriety tests or to provide a blood sample, according to the report.
Harris was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, one count of possession of a danger drug and four counts of possession of a controlled substance. The most serious drug charge he’s facing is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison. He remained in the Ector County jail Monday on surety bonds totaling $82,500.
