An elderly woman named Barbara Lee Ray reportedly headed to her doctor’s office a little more than a week ago – on November 5 – with a rather odd request.
According to the Miami Herald , citing the arrest affidavit, the 73-year-old woman from Polk County, Florida, headed to the Complete Care Family Medicine Associates office in Fort Meade with a small clear plastic bag containing a white substance she wanted her doctor to test. The arrest report reveals the woman told her doctor she was “scared” of the substance she was smoking and wanted to “check her well-being.”
Once Barbara arrived at her doctor’s office, she pulled three different items out of her purse. These items included:
- A small plastic container with a white crystal substance inside
- A small plastic bag containing the same white crystal substance
- An empty prescription bottle with her name on the label
The doctor’s office contacted the local authorities and a deputy responded to the unusual situation. The white crystal substance in the plastic container and the bag were both tested and came back positive as methamphetamine.
Barbara told the doctor she was afraid of what smoking the substance was doing to her and thought testing the substance, as well as getting a check-up, would provide her with some peace of mind.
The Miami Herald goes on to report it is currently unclear where the Florida woman obtained the meth from, or what her reasoning was for smoking it. Barbara, however, was aware of the substance being meth as multiple media outlets have quoted her reportedly referring to the substance she brought in for testing as “my meth.”
Her arrest report reveals she told the staff at her doctor’s office she had been smoking the meth for about a month.
Weighing 103 pounds and standing at five feet, four inches tall, Ray was transported to Bartow Regional Medical Center to be checked out and medically cleared. Once she received medical clearance, she was booked at Polk County Jail. Ray faces multiple charges for two counts of possession of methamphetamine and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
“Did not overdose on medication, nor had the suspect consumed medication. The suspect appeared under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of contact/arrest,” the arrest report reads.
The woman was released from jail two days later on November 7. No additional information on Barbara Lee Ray or her court dates are available at this point.
