South Florida Doctor Accused of Drugging Woman’s Drink in Bar

A South Florida doctor who was allegedly seen by a bar customer drugging a woman's drink has been arrested, police said.

Mircea Morariu, 50, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of poisoning food or water, according to Palm Beach County jail records.

Boca Raton Police officials said Morariu was at Ouzo Bay on Sept. 10 when a customer saw him pour a powder-like substance into a woman's drink while she was in the bathroom, WPTV reported.

When the woman returned, she consumed the drink, police said. The customer and restaurant managers called police and set the drink aside to keep it as evidence.

Officers arrived and found a clear plastic bag with white powder residue in the trash in the restaurant bathroom, police said. Tests showed the bag contained Zolpidem and Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax and Ambien, police said.

The woman, who told officers she has known Morariu for almost 20 years and was meeting him for drinks, was taken to the hospital where police said she was slightly incoherent.

Morariu denied pouring anything into the drink. He was arrested after toxicology reports on the powder came back, police said. He was booked into jail Tuesday, and attorney information wasn't available.