In a scenario that reads more like an episode of 'Breaking Bad' than reality, a Massachusetts man has found himself in cuffs after police stumbled upon a rocket launcher and illicit drugs in his car. According to a Facebook post by the Sutton Police Department, while conducting surveillance on Monday, Detective Alex Sinni from the force approached a suspicious vehicle outside the Red Roof Inn.
The driver, later identified as Harvey Johnson Jr. of Spencer, MA, was engaged in conversation by Detective Sinni, who quickly noticed indicators of drug use in the vehicle; it was during his search that the unsettling discovery of an M190 U.S. Army rocket launcher took place, alongside a quantity of crack cocaine, seemingly confirming that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. "Mmmmhmmm, you read that correctly....a ROCKET LAUNCHER!" the Sutton Police Department's post stated with apparent disbelief.
Harvey Johnson has since been charged with possession of a Class B substance, crack cocaine, and possession/control of an incendiary device. The arresting officer's surprise didn't stop at the discovery, as the department had to figure out the appropriate procedure for handling the unprecedented seizure of a military-grade weapon; they conferred with colleagues from the ATF who took custody of the rocket launcher, "We had to do some research on what one does once they take possession of a rocket launcher (who knew?)."
The incident, while may seem outlandish, sheds a grim light on the stark realities of street-level crime and the unanticipated circumstances police officers can find themselves in during routine checks – the very nature of their work is predictably unpredictable, if not also potentially harrowing and dangerous, and as the Leicester Police Department's post has gathered attention, citizens have been left in collective awe over the unusual twist in an otherwise everyday tale of vice and law enforcement.
