Crime & Safety

Fairfield Man Arrested for Allegedly Smoking Marijuana in the Mercy Hospital Visitor's Lounge

A call for a fire alarm led to a much less dangerous source.

A Fairfield man was arrested after allegedly trying a novel method to pass the time while waiting in Mercy Hospital -- smoking marijuana.

According to an Iowa City police criminal complaint, officers were dispatched to , 500 E. Market Street at 9:25 a.m., Thursday morning for the report of a fire. Once the officers arrived on scene, they were informed by staff that the hospital's fire alarms had been set off by a man smoking marijuana in the visitor's lounge, room 313, according to police.

The hospital staff took the pipe and marijuana away from the man, David Wayne Buch, 49, of Fairfield, until police arrived. In the complaint, the officer reported that he could smell the odor of marijuana in the room.

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After being read his Miranda rights, Buch allegedly admitted that he had been smoking marijuana in the room, and that the marijuana and bag were his. Buch was cooperative with the officers on scene, according to the complaint, and was charged with marijuana possession, a serious misdemeanor.


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