A Layton, Utah police officer fell ill after ordering a meal at a Subway drive through location also located in the same town. The sergeant felt impaired and unable to brake correctly while driving through an intersection so he called the Layton dispatch to inform them he felt sick and needed an evaluation. Some of his colleagues corroborate his story and reported that he showed clear signs of impairment. He reported that he had trouble using his arms and legs and could not focus.
After checking footage from the Subway that the sergeant visited right before feeling ill, it showed an 18 year old employee fill up the sergeant’s drink, move away from any surveillance view, and return to the pick-up window with the soft drink. Tests on the lemonade that the police officer had consumed showed positive results for methamphetamine and THC. It is still unknown how much of each substance was in the beverage or if there was anything else added but lab tests are still being run.
The Subway location associated with this incident has been fully cooperative with the authorities including the 18 year old suspected of adding drugs into the drink. Although he admits to being the one who took the police officers’ order, he does not admit to putting anything into the drink. The alleged perpetrator only has two traffic citations and the Layton police department expressed that they have a positive relationship with the community. Additionally, the police officer was unlikely to be targeted because he rarely visited this specific Subway location.
Food service owners need to ensure they have properly trained food managers and food handlers in order to prevent mishaps such as the one that occurred in Layton, Utah from happening. It has not been confirmed whether the alleged food worker involved has been charged but having thorough training for all food handlers would encourage employees to report or call out misbehavior. Food safety training also explicitly states that food handlers should not cross contaminate chemicals with food for service. For information on Utah’s food code and more, please visit our Requisitos para manipuladores de alimentos en Utah página.