Weird behavior leads to Marietta man’s arrest

A Marietta man spent a night in jail for allegedly sniffing fumes from a can after his strange behavior attracted the attention of local residents.

“He was really out of it,” said Trish Lavelle, who spotted the man on the other side of a creek that runs behind her Cobb County home, not far from Town Center Mall. “I thought he was talking to a dog or on his cell phone.”

Enlarge this image

Cobb County police

Thomas Ralph Tarpey, 44, intentionally inhaling fumes from a can of Dust Remover.

Recent headlines:

[an error occurred while processing this directive]    • Cobb County news

But Thomas Ralph Tarpey, 44, was alone.

Lavelle and a neighbor watched the disoriented Tarpey for about 10 minutes Wednesday evening, she said. She decided to call 911 out of fear the man would fall in the creek or wander up to her home.

Cobb County police arrested Tarpey and charged him with a misdemeanor for intentionally inhaling fumes from a can of Dust Remover, according to an arrest warrant. The compressed gas is often used for dusting computers or other electronic equipment, according to a 3M Web site.

Cans of the cleaner contain several warnings, including one that states, “Abuse by inhaling contents may cause instant death.”

Tarpey was freed on $1,000 bond. He could not be reached for comment.