This Florida man stole laxatives — because he thought they were opioids, police say

He was in for a rude awakening.

Peter Hans Emery Jr., a 56-year-old man from Pinellas County, Florida, was arrested Thursday after police say he stole pills labeled “Hydrocodone Acetaminophen,” according to an arrest warrant from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

But police say Emery soon learned the pills he stole weren’t “Hydrocodone Acetaminophen,” which is a powerful opioid.

Instead, the Florida man soon realized he had stolen “something else” — a laxative, police say.

According to NBC News, the pills promised “gentle, dependable overnight relief.”

Jayme Ream, who lived with Emery, told WFLA that he bought a camera and switched the laxatives and opioids. Ream said he suspected Emery had stolen his pills in the past — so he tried to set his roommate up.

And then, Ream says, his fears about his roommate were proven true.

“I couldn’t believe how quick he got in. He just basically, from the video, he just walked in,” Ream told WFLA “Had the code and he was in.”

The arrest warrant says a home video camera captured Emery opening up a lockbox in the home and swiping two pills from the mislabeled pillbox. Emery is seen putting two pills in his hand, police say, and then leaving with them on Thursday morning.

As police interviewed him, Emery admitted to stealing the pills and then throwing them away when he learned it wasn’t an opioid, according to the arrest warrant. Police say the suspect then “admitted that he did not have permission to take the pills,” which he showed the officers in a trash can.

Emery, found guilty of theft in 2014 and 2015, now faces a charge of felony petit theft.

This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 8:26 AM with the headline "This Florida man stole laxatives — because he thought they were opioids, police say."