Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: A woman had to be forcibly taken out of the McDonald’s restroom after locking herself inside for ‘hours.’ The woman appeared to be under the influence of some kind of drug.
By Jon Johnson
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
SAFFORD – Ashey Nicole Bird, 27, of Mesa, was given a citation for false reporting to law enforcement after reportedly lying about her identity during a welfare check at McDonald’s on Wednesday.
An officer was dispatched to the restaurant at 1830 W. Thatcher Blvd. at about 6:37 p.m. after employees complained about Bird being locked in the store’s restroom for more than an hour.
Upon contact, Bird claimed to be having bowel issues and that she was suffering from diarrhea. However, restaurant staff said Bird had been acting oddly and that she had paid for food that she didn’t take.
Initially, Bird refused to give her name to officers and subsequently only allowed a female paramedic from Lifeline Ambulance inside. Officers waited outside the stall until the paramedic advised Bird did not have diarrhea and instead appeared to be under the influence of a drug. By that time, Bird had been in the restroom for more than two hours, according to McDonald’s employees and management asked that she be removed.
As Bird was being taken from the scene by the paramedics, she allegedly gave a false name and age to the officer. Bird is on probation in Graham County for possession of drug paraphernalia and recently spent time in the Graham County Adult Detention Facility after a petition to revoke her probation was filed and was just released Sept. 24. In her Graham County case, Bird took a plea agreement that dismissed a charge of possession of a narcotic drug.
The officer spoke to Bird at the Emergency Room of Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center and explained that he believed she was giving him false information and that was a criminal offense. However, Bird insisted she was who she claimed she was and gave that same name to hospital staff as well, who could not locate any medical records under the name given by Bird.
The next day, the officer located booking photos of Bird and noticed she had five warrants for her arrest out of the Phoenix area for drug possession and probation violations, however, they were all non-extraditable. The officer then located Bird at a residence on W. 16th Street and gave her a citation for providing false information.
