Medicine mix-up leads local mayor to police confrontation

Forest Park Mayor David Lockhart (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

Forest Park Mayor David Lockhart (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

A local mayor said he failed to read a warning on his prescription medication and suffered a bad reaction after drinking alcohol.

That reaction disoriented Forest Park Mayor David Lockhart, who tried to get into a vacant house next door to his when his nephew dropped him off after dinner, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Lockhart told Channel 2 he didn’t read the no-alcohol warning in an insert with his pills.

A police officer captured the next series of events on dashcam video.

Though Lockhart said he doesn’t remember much, the officer found him with blood on his hands in front of a broken storm window at the vacant house.

By the time Forest Park police arrived, Lockhart said he was in his own home.

But documents obtained by the news station suggest Lockhart tried to slam the door in a lieutenant's face.

"He's got his gun safe open, his guns out, his ammunition out," an officer said on dashcam video.

The officer decided not to arrest the mayor after a call to his superiors.

Forest Park Police spokesman Maj. Chris Matson told Channel 2 the mayor did not receive special treatment and anyone would have been treated with the same courtesy.

“We have to investigate things,” Matson said. “We work on the facts, not supposition. We knew that there was no intent to do any damage to any property, or to harm anybody.”

Lockhart told Channel 2 he is proud of the way officers de-escalated the situation as they are trained to do.