Christopher Pedlar (Harris County Constable Precinct 1).
A Texas dentist was arrested after police found more than 100 laughing gas containers in his SUV that he admitted to “inhaling all day,” cops say. And it wasn’t his first time: He also was arrested for similar infractions in October and November.
On Sunday night, a deputy with the Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 1 in Houston tried to pull over a speeding vehicle. But instead of stopping the driver kept going, looking back at cops in the rearview mirror and making several turns, a criminal complaint said. Eventually, the driver, 39-year-old Christopher Michael Pedlar, stopped after about a half mile.
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Cops found more than 100 canisters of Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas. At least two were “extremely cold with ice and frost” along with mouthpieces for inhaling, according to the affidavit. Pedlar allegedly admitted to “inhaling all day” and said he “has a problem.” Cops took him into custody on charges of possession of a volatile chemical and fleeing police, both misdemeanors.
In November, police allegedly caught him sitting in his parked Chevrolet Suburban. He refused to come out of his car and a police officer saw him put a canister to his face and inhaled its contents, a criminal complaint said. Once he did come out, he was “sluggish” and could barely stand, officers wrote. Police recovered more than 100 canisters. A witness called after allegedly saw Pedlar sitting in the car with “his head down on his chest, not moving.” Pedlar had been parked in the same spot for about 10 hours, the affidavit said. He was arrested on a charge of inhalant paraphernalia.
Cops also arrested him on Oct. 6 for possession of a volatile chemical.
Following his third arrest, prosecutors requested that Pedlar’s bond be increased because he “is posing a danger to the community.” Currently, Pedlar is at the Brazoria County Jail on a $75,000 bond. A motion filed Tuesday by his attorney, David Smith, called his client’s bond “excessive, oppressive and beyond his financial means.” Smith, who did not return a call requesting comment, requested an evidentiary hearing.
According to the American Dentistry Association, nitrous oxide is used as a “safe and effective means of managing pain and anxiety in dentistry.” Pedlar has been a dentist since 2012 and his license remains active, Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reports.
