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Former Lightning forward Malone ‘shocked’ he had cocaine

Ryan Malone

This Feb. 4, 2014 photo, Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ryan Malone (12) stretches before an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minn. Malone was charged Saturday with DUI and possession of cocaine after a traffic stop, police said. An officer saw Malone’s SUV strike a curb after making a left turn from the center lane early Saturday, said Tampa Police Lt. Paul Lusczynski. After being pulled over, Malone got out of his vehicle, and the officer smelled alcohol on his breath, Lusczynski said. According to the police report, the officer also found 1.3 grams of cocaine in one of Malone’s pockets. Malone was released from the Hillsborough County jail on $2,500 bond. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

AP

Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone has been having a hard time of late. He was bought out of his contract by the team in late June and in April he was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession.

As it turns out, the cocaine part of the story was a surprise to him at the time.

Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports Malone was unaware he had cocaine on him when he was pulled over by police.

“I asked where it came from,” officer Andrew Visser wrote in his report. “And he said he was just shocked.”

Malone plead not-guilty to the charges, but according to court documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times he had 1.3 grams of cocaine in his possession. He also initially refused a field sobriety test but had a blood-alcohol level of 0.112 and 0.116 when he was booked. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.

Malone is currently a free agent and may not be likely to land with a new team until his legal issues are sorted out.

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