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Sam Penrod and Randall Jeppesen reportingA hazardous materials scare in Provo this morning turned out to be a false alarm, but a man involved is now in jail.
Gas station manager Mark Christensen says a man came in at about 6:00 a.m.. He says the man wasn't wearing shoes and was acting strangely. He then went out to his black corvette and fell asleep parked at the pump for two and a half hours.
The man was reported to police around 9:00 this morning. The man was unconscious, which prompted paramedics to check him out. That's when they found a three gallon container of an unknown chemical, which they thought could be making the man sick.
"Came and asked me to shut down the pumps, because there were chemicals in the car they were afraid of," Christensen says.
The HAZ-MAT Team secured the substance and tested it. It turns out it was some kind of a substance or chemical used for cleaning and it had nothing to do with the man's condition. The man was then determined to be under the influence of drugs.
Deputy Chief Tom Kuhlmann, Provo Fire Dept.: "The male was somewhat lethargic and unresponsive at the time. As time went on he became more conscious of his surroundings, but was not able to answer simple questions."
After David Cornwell was de-contaminated and checked out at the hospital, he was booked into jail on charges of driving under the influence of drugs and possession of a controlled substance, which was found inside his car.
Authorities say the extra precaution today was worth it because of the potential danger to the suspect as well as emergency workers.
