NFL player with heroin in pocket rams patrol vehicle, Seminole deputies say

Barry Cofield accused of trying to elude police after passing out on I-4 ramp

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – NFL free agent Barry Cofield was arrested on multiple charges after he was found passed out behind the wheel of his Cadillac Escalade on Interstate 4, then rammed a patrol vehicle while attempting to elude officers, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Cofield's Escalade was found stopped on the off-ramp of eastbound I-4 at West Lake Mary Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. When they peered inside the vehicle, they saw Cofield slumped behind the steering wheel with the vehicle still running and in drive. His foot was on the brake, according to the report.

It took several minutes for Cofield to regain consciousness and when he did, he refused to follow commands to put his vehicle in park and instead sped off, the affidavit said.

Deputies said they followed Cofield as he swerved in and out of traffic, sideswiped a vehicle that was stopped at an intersection on Lake Mary Boulevard and International Parkway, and continued to take maneuvers to evade arrest.

Cofield stopped when he got to the front gate of the Steeple Chase subdivision in Lake Mary but still refused to get out of the Escalade, according to the report.

A patrol car was positioned in front of Cofield's vehicle to prevent him from driving off and that's when authorities said Cofield rammed into the patrol vehicle, the affidavit said.

Even after the crash, deputies said Cofield refused to exit his vehicle until they broke the driver's side window.

Once Cofield was in handcuffs, officers conducted a search and found that Cofield had two small plastic bags with heroin inside, according to the report. Cofield also smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and watery, deputies said.

Deputies said Cofield refused to undergo any field sobriety tests or provide a breath sample to have his blood alcohol content measured.

Records show Cofield was charged with fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, driving under the influence, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and possession of heroin.

Cofield last played for the New York Giants in 2015. The Longwood home listed in the report as his address is valued at approximately $1.4 million.


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