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Texas police mistake kitty litter for methamphetamine

Posted at 6:12 PM, Jan 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-07 20:12:33-05

A Houston man is trying to clear his name after police arrested him after they mistook a bag of kitty litter for methamphetamine.

On Dec. 5, Ross Lebeau was stopped by police for making an illegal right hand-turn. Officers found marijuana in his car, and he was detained.

But Lebeau’s situation took a frightening turn when officers found a bag full of gray powder stuffed inside a sock on his dashboard. Two field tests at the scene determined the substance was meth, and Lebeau was charged possession with a controlled substance.

It wasn’t until a lab test was conducted that officials realized that the substance was actually cat litter — a trick Lebeau used to keep his windshield from fogging up.

The Harris County Sheriff’s department eventually dropped their charges, but not after Lebeau spent three days in jail and posted $50,000 bail.

According to WMCH, Lebeau lost work over the allegations and is still seeking an apology from the Harris County Sheriff’s office.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.