Police say Butler driver admitted using drugs
Even before a Butler man arrested for driving under the influence was taken for a blood test, he allegedly told state police they would find drugs in his system.
David C. Masdea, 46, of Butler was apparently true to his word.
Toxicology reports would later reveal seven different drugs in a blood sample, according to court documents.
Police on Monday charged Masdea with multiple counts of driving under the influence stemming from a March 30 traffic stop in Butler.
Trooper Chad Savannah stopped Masdea about noon after he spotted an expired inspection sticker on a Ford Explorer that the defendant was driving on Chestnut Street.
His excessive talking and “excited” demeanor, documents said, immediately raised the trooper's suspicions. A check of Masdea's driving record showed his license was suspended.
While being questioned, police said, he admitted using five stamp bags of heroin several hours before driving. He also allegedly acknowledged smoking crack cocaine the night before.
Resigned to having drugs in his system, Masdea told Savannah not to bother with any field sobriety tests. He also nixed a drug recognition expert's evaluation, according to Savannah's affidavit, because he wanted to “speed up the process.”
Police obliged and took Masdea to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. But the process got bogged down.
Two different phlebotomists, documents said, were unable to get samples from Masdea due to his “extensive intravenous drug history.”
A portable sonar machine was eventually called in to obtain a sample from the defendant's neck.
That sample, police said, turned up the following drugs: amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, metabolites of both cocaine and heroin, and fentanyl and a fentanyl metabolite.
In addition to DUI, police charged Masdea with driving under suspension related and two traffic violations.
Court records showed he has three prior DUI convictions and several previous drug-related convictions.
He was arrested Wednesday on an unrelated warrant and placed in Butler County Prison.
