Tests find only marijuana in Florida face-chewer’s system, no bath salts

Only marijuana was found in the system of a Florida man shot while chewing another man’s face, according to a medical examiner’s report released Tuesday.

The active components of marijuana were identified in the system of Rudy Eugene, according to toxicology results released by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner. The laboratory tested for but did not detect any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs in Eugene, the 31-year-old who friends said was religious and read both the Bible and Quran.

The department ruled out the most common components found in the street drugs known as bath salts. An outside forensic toxicology lab, which took a second look at the results, also confirmed the absence of bath salts, synthetic marijuana and LSD.

The results were released weeks after a Miami police union official had speculated that because Eugene’s behavior had been so bizarre he was probably under the influence of bath salts.

Messages left with the medical examiner’s office for comment were not immediately returned.

It’s not clear what led to the May 26 attack on Ronald Poppo, a 65-year-old homeless man who remains hospitalized. Poppo’s family has said it had no contact with him for more than 30 years and thought he was dead.

Police have released few details about what may have led to the attack.

Surveillance video from a nearby building shows Eugene stripping Poppo and pummeling him before appearing to hunch over and lie on top of him. The police officer who shot Eugene to death said he growled at the officer when he told him to stop.

Shortly before the attack, a person driving on the MacArthur Causeway told a 911 dispatcher a “completely naked man” was on top of one of the light poles on the causeway and “acting like Tarzan.”

Poppo has undergone several surgeries and remains hospitalized. A message left with the hospital was not immediately returned.