Gila County employee Charles Turney was arrested May 7 at Round Mountain Park on charges of possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.

At 6:12 a.m. Tuesday, May 7 officers with the Globe Police Department responded to the park on a “suspicious activity” call about a man walking around in his underwear, said Globe Chief of Police Dale Walters.

An off-duty Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper had called the police, reporting that he had contacted Turney who was now in his car at the park entrance, Walters said in a May 7 statement.

Upon arrival, officers spoke with Turney, who admitted to using Methamphetamine earlier that morning, he said.

The Globe Police K-9 alerted on Turney’s car, finding drug paraphernalia and “a usable amount of dangerous drugs,” Walters said.

During the investigation, officers identified two more people who were victimized by Turney’s behavior while walking in the park and wished to press disorderly conduct charges, he said.

Turney was arrested and booked for possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia, Walters said.

The Globe Police also planned to submit disorderly conduct charges to the Gila County Attorney’s Office for review and charging, he said.

The case is still pending and under investigation, Walters said.

In answer to a public records request from the Silver Belt, Deputy County Manager Jacque Sanders said that Turney is “currently on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation.”

Employed by the county for eight years, Turney is a Community Health Specialist who works in the Health Department, she told the Silver Belt.