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Police Investigating Second Report Of Drugging At Epicentre

Chris Ballance / Flickr

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating a report filed Wednesday by a woman who believes she was drugged at an Epicentre nightclub in uptown Charlotte last weekend.

According to CMPD, a 23-year-old woman reported to police that she was drinking with friends at the Suite nightclub in the Epicentre complex at 210 East Trade Street when she “blacked out and became ill.” Her friends called an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. The woman told police that she was not injured or assaulted.

This is the second report of its kind in recent weeks of a woman claiming she was drugged at an EpiCentre establishment. Another woman, 31-year-old Leah McGuirk, also told police that she was drugged at Rooftop 210. Weeks later, she said she was turned away from filing a report by a CMPD officer. McGuirk posted a video recounting the interaction with the officer on Facebook and YouTube. The officer, McGuirk said, told her she needed to return to the scene of the crime and call 911 from there.

CMPD called a press conference on June 1 to express its regret over the officer’s response and assure the public that it was unnecessary to return to the scene of a crime to file a police report. CMPD spokesperson Rob Tufano said the situation gave CMPD “an opportunity to really look inward and find out if [it’s] doing everything [it] needs to do as an organization to deliver the best victim service.”

CMPD also acknowledged McGuire’s report in its statement about the most recent suspected drugging Thursday. The department said it “wants to ensure the community is aware.” It also included tips to stay safe while drinking in a social setting.

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