Cops: Subway Worker Didn't Drug Officer

Tests showed no drugs in drink, officer's system
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 12, 2016 7:00 AM CDT
Cops: Subway Worker Didn't Drug Officer
Tanis Ukena speaks at his attorney's office in Clearfield, Utah.   (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

An 18-year-old Subway employee has been cleared of charges two months after he was accused of drugging a police officer's drink. Tanis Ukena was arrested Aug. 8 in Layton, Utah, after a uniformed police officer who'd consumed part of a Subway drink and sandwich reported feeling intoxicated. Ukena tells KSL he "went into shock" when officers arrested him after he'd helped them search the Subway location "for an hour or two." Authorities at the time claimed an ion scanner test showed the officer's drink was laced with THC and methamphetamine and surveillance footage showed the crime unfold. However, Utah State Crime Lab tests were "unable to confirm that contaminates [sic] were in the officer's drink," police say.

Urine and blood tests showed no drugs in the officer's system and "extensive medical testing" offered no clues to his condition, reports the Standard-Examiner. Ukena's lawyer says police initially used a "cheap" drug test, noting, "The officer's symptoms did not correlate with the drugs, and that should have raised some red flags." He adds surveillance video shows Ukena only holding the officer's drink. Ukena—who's considering legal action, per the Standard-Examiner—says he's still "pro-police," but he fears "this is going to affect me for years to come." Since his arrest, he says he's received death threats and finds it "scary to go out in public." An apology would be nice, he adds. In a statement, police noted their "appreciation" for his "patience." (More Utah stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X