By Cliff Pinckard
Advance Ohio Media, Cleveland
OMAHA, Neb.— A man who was being held in a police station interrogation room tried to hide crack cocaine in the room’s ceiling, an act that was caught on surveillance video.
Police just released the video of the October 2017 incident. Thomas Hartman, 25, was arrested after police say he falsely accused his cousin of robbing him of a cell phone and $445 in cash, ABC News reports.
While alone in the interrogation room at the Omaha Police Department, Hartman puts a chair on a table and pushes up a ceiling tile. Officers catch him and initially believe he’s attempting to escape, KETV Channel 7 reports.
“You’re at the frickin’ police station, man and you put a chair up and tried to get in the ceiling,” and officer tells Hartman.
When an officer inspects the ceiling tile, he doesn’t notice a small, white bundle fall to the floor and under the table.
Another officer who later enters the room to straighten up finds the small bag, which police say contains crack cocaine.
ABC News says records show Hartman was later charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and false reporting. He was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and sentenced to nine months of supervised release.
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