CRESTVIEW — Police arrested Lee Vern Cook on several charges after a Wednesday incident at North Okaloosa Medical Center.
Cook admitted to bringing “crack cocaine” into NOMC's ICU unit so that he and a patient could smoke the drug together, according to a media release.
A fire broke out while a patient was attempting to smoke the cocaine from a homemade device, according to police, who said the patient was on oxygen, which caused the fire to start quickly.
The only property damage was contained to the bed linen and the gown the patient was wearing along with the oxygen mask, police said.
The patient was transported to a burn unit as a result of the burns he received, according to the release. There was no evacuation of patents or staff from the ICU area.
Cook also admitted to bringing a loaded firearm into the hospital and led officers to the location where he had left it in a bathroom after the fire, according to police.
He was charged with possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, arson, possession of a controlled substance (5 counts) possession of drug paraphernalia, with the possibility of additional charges and was transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.
Crestview's police and fire departments and the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the incident.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fire breaks out at NOMC; man arrested on arson, drug charges