MANDEVILLE, La. A man says he tested positive for fentanyl at a local hospital after becoming severely impaired shortly after eating at a Popeyes restaurant in Mandeville.
Douglas M. Ducote Sr. said in a public Facebook post that he ate inside the Popeyes near Highway 190 and the Causeway while running errands.
Ducote said that within minutes of leaving the restaurant, he suddenly began feeling what he described as completely stoned and knew something was wrong.
He said he drove to the emergency room at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington, where blood and urine samples were collected. According to Ducote, approximately two hours later, he was told the testing showed he was positive for fentanyl.
Ducote also said Mandeville Police sent an officer to the hospital to take a report and that officers were sent to the Popeyes location.
APR•St Tammany has sent a request for comment to the Mandeville Police Department asking the department to confirm its response, whether an investigation is underway, and whether any food or other evidence was collected for testing.
At this time, APR•St Tammany has not independently confirmed Ducote’s hospital test results or determined how fentanyl may have entered his system. A positive test alone does not establish that the food contained fentanyl.
There is currently no confirmed information showing that food from the restaurant contained fentanyl or that anyone associated with the restaurant was involved in wrongdoing.
APR•St Tammany will update this story if additional information is provided by the Mandeville Police Department.
APR•St Tammany is not accusing Popeyes, the restaurant, or any member of its staff of wrongdoing. We are sharing a local resident’s public account of what he says happened and will continue working to verify the details as more information becomes available.
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