36-year-old James Mannix Jr was found asleep in his SUV in AllSouth Appliance Group’s parking lot. He woke up, then showed signs of impairment, refused a sobriety test, demanded medical attention, and told medical staff that he was suffering withdrawals from alcohol and “benzos.” On July 26th, MNPD responded to AllSouth Appliance Group’s parking lot and spoke to a complainant who said that a gray Ford Escape almost struck a mailbox while entering the parking lot. Then, the complainant said, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the parking lot. Police approached the vehicle and found James Mannix asleep with the keys in the ignition and the engine still running but in park. The fire department arrived on the scene and woke James up; he slurred his words while saying, “I am not getting caught in the driver seat of this car.”
During the investigation, police described him to be uncooperative and unsteady on his feet when asked to exit the vehicle. James refused to do a sobriety test and asked for a lawyer, so he was placed into custody. A search of his vehicle yielded a half-empty bottle of Irish whiskey, an empty pint of vodka, other open containers, narcotics, and other prescription medication. While James was in the back of the police vehicle, an officer noted that it newly smelled of alcohol. James demanded medical attention after he was placed into custody; once they arrived at the hospital, James told the staff that he was suffering withdrawals from alcohol and “benzos” (which is a colloquialism for “Benzodiazepines.”)
