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SALEM — A man who was living in a storage unit was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia Wednesday, police said.
Officers responded to the area after receiving a report of a man living in one of the units, according to Salem police Chief Brad James. He said when police arrived they found two men who were "down on their luck" living in the same unit.
“They had been living in this storage unit without any type of sanitary means to get rid of waste and stuff, so they had been using whatever they had that was available to store feces and urine,” he said.
One of the men was a self-admitted recreational meth user and investigators found drug paraphernalia in the unit, James said. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia and for a nuisance violation. The other man was cited for a nuisance violation.
“It happens on occasion," James said. "We’ve had reports and found people under different circumstances who have been living in storage units for one reason or another."
James said there were a number of other things they could have charged the men with, but that the point was to get them somewhere where they could receive assistance.
The public should report individuals they see living in storage units: “Hopefully somebody could help them redirect their lives and get them the help they need,” James said.
