BANCROFT (AP) — Police say a northern Maine man is facing charges for allegedly setting his girlfriend’s car on fire while under the influence of so-called bath salts.
Maine State Police say 33- year-old Shawn Birtz, of Lee, was hallucinating while on bath salts Saturday when he somehow set fire to the car while he and his girlfriend were driving on the Bancroft Road in Bancroft.
Officials say Birtz and his girlfriend, Brittany Osgood, were able to escape uninjured as the car went up in flames.
Bath salts is a synthetic drug that can cause disorientation, extreme paranoia and violence.
Birtz was transported to Houlton Regional Hospital for treatment before taken to Aroostook County Jail. He is charged with arson and domestic violence reckless conduct.
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