Arrest made in 6 alleged drug overdoses at DSU off-campus complex

ST. GEORGE – St. George Police arrested 22-year-old Cedric Dezarae Morin Wednesday in connection with the alleged drug overdose of six individuals, ranging from 17-23 years of age, who ended up in the hospital Dec. 6 following a party the previous night.

Cedric Dezarae Morin, of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted Dec. 10, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s booking, St. George News
Cedric Dezarae Morin, of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted Dec. 10, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s booking, St. George News

On Dec. 6, officers responded to the Rebel’s Roost Apartments, an off-campus housing complex that caters to Dixie State University students, located at 83 S. 1000 East in St. George, on a report of a drug overdose, St. George Police Officer David Slack said in his probable cause statement supporting Morin’s arrest. (See ed. note below.)

“Three females were located in the apartment and displayed varied levels of impairment,” Slack said in the statement. “All females had vomited and were unsteady. Through an initial investigation it was determined that a THC substance was consumed in apartment #5.”

Contact was made with one of the residents, who allowed officers into the apartment, Slack said.

“A fork and plastic containers were located in the kitchen that had a dark brown sticky residue that smelled consistent with marijuana,” the statement said.

Officers also detected an odor consistent with marijuana coming from one of the bedrooms, Slack said in the statement, and a warrant was written, approved and served on the room.

“I searched the room and located a small plastic container with a dark brown sticky substance that emitted an odor consistent with marijuana,” Slack said. “The container was located in the main pocket of a suitcase at the back of the closet.”

A luggage tag on the suitcase identified it as belonging to Morin, and there were several other items with Morin’s name on them, the statement said.

A prescription pill bottle allegedly containing acetaminophen and oxycodone was also found in the suitcase, Slack said.

In all, six individuals – males and females – in the housing complex were either unresponsive or very sick and vomiting, St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said. Two of the individuals were transported by ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Despain said, and four others were transported by private vehicle to the emergency room.

“All with the same symptoms of being sick and vomiting,” Despain said, “and all were suspected of ingesting what we believe to be this hash oil that caused them to be sick.”

On Dec. 10, Morin responded to the St. George Police Department and agreed to speak with Slack.

Slack wrote in the probable cause statement:

(Morin) stated the cannabis oil was his and he had a prescription for it from CA. (Morin) stated he was aware that the prescription is not valid in UT. (Morin) stated he did not supply the oil to any but it was taken from his closet and used without his knowledge. I asked (Morin) about the pills and he stated he had a prescription for them from a long time ago.

Morin was arrested and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility. He was charged with two second-degree felonies for possession of hash oil and prescription pills and a class A misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia.

All possession charges were enhanced due to the proximity of Dixie State University and Dixie Applied Technology College. Morin’s initial bail was set at $21,950.

Morin made his initial appearance in 5th District Court on Dec. 11, where Judge G. Michael Westfall reduced his bail amount to $12,000, according to court documents. The court also determined Morin to be indigent and appointed Douglas D. Terry as his counsel.

Though Morin’s bail was eventually cleared by judicial order for $10,000, he remains in custody, according to booking information. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Ed. note: Views on the safety and possible side effects of marijuana vary. Full analysis of alternate views and medical studies is beyond the scope of this report.

Ed. note Dec. 29: CLARIFICATION made – the Rebel’s Roost Apartments are privately owned and cater to Dixie State University students; on initial publish the sentence characterized them as a Dixie State University off-campus housing complex which could imply the university owns and operates them, which it does not.

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8 Comments

  • Joe Smith December 15, 2014 at 12:17 am

    Good ol’ Cedric is at it again huh? Everyone knows not to buy from Cedric. These nice little white LDS kids must be desperate for a high these days…

  • Mike December 15, 2014 at 12:51 am

    So you blame the marijuana before the actual chemical substance that was also found? Idiots!

  • Mr. Winkle December 15, 2014 at 5:38 am

    I don’t think even Ca gives a script for Hashish.

  • Koolaid December 15, 2014 at 7:37 am

    Is his bail higher than the deputy sheriff whose BAC was 3X the limit and who wrecked the sheriff vehicle with weapons and children onboard (wreckless endangerment)? Aren’t females displaying varied levels of impairment a common thing in Dixie?

  • Tater Salad December 15, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Our Future city leaders teachers and doctors and politicians this country will be in good hands

  • sagemoon December 15, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Any final word on whether the hashish was synthetic or not? Was the vomiting caused by ingesting the oxycodone?

  • Not buying it December 16, 2014 at 10:36 am

    This kid is misinformed on the prescription laws. A prescription from one state is good in all 50 states.
    This was decided by the Supreme Court on a cedar city marihuana case where two guys from cedar city had six ounces each and scot burns convicted them and sent them to prison. They appealed and won costing the taxpayers millions $
    Burns gave a childish response to the loss. “We’re not giving them there marijuana back.

    • B. Nickle December 16, 2014 at 2:50 pm

      Not Buying It, do you have a source for your info? This seems highly unlikely.

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