Man charged after intentionally spreading fentanyl on officer's vest, police say

A Sudbury man is facing several charges after a run in with police in Sault Ste. Marie.

On Dec. 20, 2018, police arrested a 36-year-old man for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

During the arrest, police say he allegedly "broke open a bag of fentanyl which was then spread onto the officer's vest."

The officer did not require medical attention.

After the arrest, police searched the man's vehicle and found 18 grams of fentanyl worth about $10,800, packaging material, a digital scale, a shotgun and pepper spray were also found.

He was initially charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm, one count of knowingly possessing an unauthorized firearm, one count of possession of a firearm contrary to a probation order and one count of assaulting an officer.

Testing done by Health Canada confirmed the powder is fentanyl. As a result, on Tuesday police also charged the man with two counts of mischief endangering life.

"I have not wavered from my stance when it comes to people distributing dangerous narcotics in our community," police Chief Hugh Stevenson said.

"We will aggressively investigate those individuals and use the full power of law to lay more severe charges on those who are found to be involved in the drug trade in Sault Ste. Marie."