FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. – Law enforcement officers in Flagler County broke car windows to rescue an unconscious driver who was later arrested on drug charges after fentanyl was found in his vehicle, according to sheriff’s officials.
According to a news release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Flagler Beach police discovered the driver slumped over and unresponsive in his car at State Road 100 and Seminole Woods Boulevard on Friday evening. The vehicle was still in drive when officers found him.
After officers broke two windows to reach the driver, identified as Ryan Ronnenburg, 32, of Palm Coast, he suddenly regained consciousness. Ronnenburg told deputies he was returning from Buc-ee’s and admitted to taking “a bit of everything” earlier.
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During the investigation, deputies say they found fentanyl in two forms — a white powder and a brown waxy substance wrapped in tinfoil — along with drug paraphernalia in the vehicle’s center console.
“Ryan’s actions could have killed himself, or someone else, had it not been for the deputies and officers who found him,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
Deputies say Ronnenburg failed field sobriety tests at the scene. While subsequent breath tests showed no alcohol in his system, deputies requested a urine sample due to his visible impairment, which he provided.
He faces charges of driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies transported him to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.