Scandal rocks lavish vacation island as woman 'nearly kills friend with what was thought to be innocent snack'
A woman was arrested on multiple drug charges after her friend nearly died from swallowing 70 Adderall pills - allegedly mistaking them for Reese's Pieces - while vacationing on a Massachusetts island.
Nicole Pelrine, 32, was visiting an unnamed friend in Nantucket over Memorial Day weekend when the celebration took a dark turn - she called 911 to report a suspected overdose, as reported by the Nantucket Current.
She told responding officers she believed her friend accidently ingested 70 Adderall pills located on a nightstand, believing them to be the popular chocolate candy.
While the alleged victim was airlifted in critical condition to a hospital off the island, officers found large amounts of cocaine and an unknown amount of heroin in the residence, leading to Pelrine's arrest.
She has pled not guilty to charges of possessing a Class A drug, trafficking cocaine over 36 grams but less than 100 grams, and inhaling a glue/toxic substance.
'She was nonchalant, but ultimately standoffish,' Cape & Islands assistant DA Shaunna Souve said, referring to Pelrine's interactions with police, according to the outlet. 'The story was consistently changing.'
Just before 2pm Sunday afternoon, Pelrine - who is also reportedly homeless - called 911 from a Heller's Way property near Cisco Beach to report an overdose.
When officers arrived, she explained that she come to the island on Friday to stay with the alleged victim at his parents' house for the weekend and planned to leave on Monday.
The alleged victim was given Narcan right away, then airlifted to a hospital off the island, where they remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the outlet.
At first, Pelrine claimed she didn't know the alleged victim's name.
However, after an investigation, it was found that she had been friends with him for a few months - though she emphasized that they hadn't had any previous relationship before the incident.
Pelrine also told responding officers that they had been drinking all night and didn't remember taking any drugs.
During a search of the property, authorities allegedly discovered white powder and solid, chunky substances weighing a total of 78.5 grams scattered around the home - on side tables in the living room, as well as in the kitchen and bathroom.
'Pelrine was also adamant about no one going into that one bedroom where the door was closed,' Souve said, as reported by the Nantucket Current.
Law enforcement said they also found a tan powder - believed to be heroin - in several places around the house, as well as two large canisters of nitrous oxide, thick balloons likely used to breathe the gas in, a scale with white powder on it, several crack pipes, butane lighters and other drug-related items.
Pelrine was subsequently arrested and held in jail until her arraignment on Tuesday, where she pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jenny Margeson, Pelrine's court-appointed attorney, argued that because her client was the one to 911 and get the alleged victim medical attention, the case should be covered under Good Samaritan Law instead of being treated as a criminal matter.
'He experienced an overdose. She called 911,' Margeson said, as reported by the outlet.
'This is a real straightforward Good Samaritan Case your honor. There was a gentleman experiencing an overdose.'
She also stated that her client had known the alleged victim for about a month and that they were friends, also confirming that the Nantucket home did not belong to Pelrine.
Additionally, Margeson claimed the drugs found by police didn't belong to her client either.
'My client stated she believed that it was his own prescription medication - that would confirm her story - and it clearly wasn't a heroin overdose,' Margeson argued.
'The fact that she doesn't have his thorough medical history is not a crime,' she added. 'She was visiting. They've been friends for a month.'
'But the fact that she doesn't know his intense medical history is not against the law.'
On Tuesday, Souve urged the court to hold Pelrine as a danger to the public until her trail, citing two open cases for possession of a Class B substance, a history of missed court appearances, and the fact that the alleged victim remains in critical condition.
She also noted that Pelrine is homeless, which could make it difficult to monitor her whereabouts.
However, Nantucket District Court Judge Paul Pino ultimately ruled that Pelrine did not pose a danger to the community and set her bail at $1,000 cash or $10,000 surety, though it remains unclear whether she'll be able to post it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Agonizing video shows boy, 6, drowning in pool as his adult cousin stands by helpless until a stranger steps in
THIS is the heartstopping moment a six-year-old drowns in a pool as his cousin watches on helplessly - before a bystander bravely intervenes. Shocking footage showed the boy desperately trying to stay afloat for nearly two minutes - before a quick-thinking stranger leapt into the water to help him. 3 3 3 The harrowing video begins with the two cousins standing on the side of a Fort Lauderdale pool in Florida. The six-year-old boy named Oscar then decides to jump recklessly onto a blue inflatable sunbed. He suddenly loses his balance, and then falls into the water. Seemingly unable to swim, he starts wailing his arms around desperately, failing to tread water. Standing on the side of the pool, his cousin realises he can't do anything as he does not know how to swim either. Desperate to help his drowning relative, the adult cousin tries dipping his feat in the water, in an attempt to get himself into the water too. But he hesitates a few times when he realises he would also end up drowning. He even tries to push out the sunbed for the child to grab on to. But still struggling, the child takes no notice if the inflatable and continues to flail around in the water. The youngster even appears to remain under the surface of the water for an extended amount of time. He is trapped without air for over a minute and a half before someone comes to his rescue. Luckily construction worker Roque Ivan Ocampo who was at the same building heard the screams and was alerted to the commotion. He rushed into the pool area through a gate, before jumping in without any hesitation. The heroic worker dragged the child to the side of the pool, before starting CPR. Police are then seen arriving at the poolside, also helping the boy who luckily survived the frightening ordeal. Ocampo told NBC News: "He doesn't move at all, that's why I thought maybe, 'He's dead,' because he wasn't moving." He also said in the moment there was "no time to think, just to act". The boy was rushed to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Police officer Jamie Bodine said: "It takes a lot of bravery to do what he did, and I think Oscar's outcome would've been a lot worse if [he] hadn't jumped in the pool, pulled him out, and done CPR right away. "I don't think we thanked him enough that day." But the internet was somewhat confused by the footage - especially the bizarre fact his cousin stood by for so long without doing anything. One user said: "Where were the parents? Why were [they] left alone near the pool without supervision? "Something is wrong with this scenario." Another said: 'What a hero. That's a real lifeguard! For that 'cousin,' why do you have a pool when you can't swim?
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The crime-ridden estate so rough outsiders were BANNED: Locals in Rochdale 'living in fear' as drugs gangs take over their streets
After years of dealers exploiting its labyrinth of metal walkways and dark stairwells to peddle drugs, police decided enough was enough on Rochdale's Freehold Estate. Greater Manchester Police put the notorious estate on 'lockdown' in November last year. Outsiders were banned from entering the grounds of 19 blocks of flats for a three months, with the risk of arrest. Officers were pleased with the measure, and eventually lifted the lockdown, happy that crime had been reduced. But months later, terrified locals say it 'made no difference' to the daily torment they are forced to endure and that they still 'live in fear'. One resident told MailOnline: 'For about one week or two weeks there was a sign about the order, then nothing. Everyone came back again. 'Even now, I don't want them to see me speaking to you. I'm not scared of them but I have an expensive car and they will smash it if they know somebody is talking to you.' One of the stairwells where residents and outsiders were found to be buying and selling drugs. Since a police clampdown, many residents agreed the use of the stairwells has reduced The father, who has lived on the estate for 12 years, added: 'The police don't do anything. 'They don't care. 'Why can't they catch people? People are being housed here straight from prison, fresh from prison. 'Everyday you have new people coming here who are causing trouble. So they arrest people, but then new people come in and it's the same thing. 'And they are not scared of police. Police can't do anything. They take them to prison for one night like a holiday and then the next day they are back doing the same thing. 'I bought the house I live in a year ago and I need to wait four more years until I can rent it. Then I will leave because it's not safe with children. 'This is an old area so the council ignore it. There was no banning happened.' Speaking of how other neighbours also live in terror, he said: 'I have kids, my neighbours all have kids, and we don't feel safe. It's good because we look out for each other, but it is a problem. 'About a year or two ago it felt like it was getting better but it has gone very bad now. 'People put on loud music late at night and smoke outside. I've called the police and said they are drug users, and they say 'how do you know'. I told them 'I can smell.' 'They come here everyday for a 'smell patrol' and then go back to their station. 'It's become so dangerous for women and children. 'During winter when it gets dark earlier I go out most of the time, not my wife, because it's not safe. 'And my daughter is now 14 and she never goes out here alone. I go with her or my wife goes with her.' Meanwhile, a local who lives nearby suggested the only way to fix the issues was to demolish the entire blocks of flats. The local said: 'It's really sad. These gangs are bringing young children in and it's really sad. 'I've got kids of my own and I wouldn't want them surrounded by that sort of thing. 'It's 100 per cent gotten worse as well. 'Maybe if they knocked it down, they would get rid of the problem. Maybe that's the only way. 'Just bulldoze it. And then rehouse them.' In June 2022, a drugs gang known as the 'Portuguese mafia' were jailed for cuckooing vulnerable addicts and grooming children to sell drugs. Nine members of the gang - which goes by the name '706' - were convicted after being found to have taken over the homes of addicts and made them into drugs bases and exploited kids to deal on their behalf. But drugs crimes are not the only thing Freehold has come under scrutiny for. In 2020, two-year old Awaab Ishak died following prolonged exposure to mould in the one-bed flat he and his parents lived in on the estate. An inquest found his parents had pleaded with the housing association to solve the problem prior to his death. The tragedy led to widespread measures across the estate to remove damp and mould - which 80 per cent of residents were found to be living in - and even saw a law change in his name forcing landlords to fix dangerous homes. But while Rochdale Borough Housing (RBH) and Rochdale Council seem to have been able to put the mould scandal behind them, the issue of crime seems harder to shake off. Those living across the road from the estate told of how they feel unsafe and do not let their children walk through the estate. The estate has a shortcut through to a nearby school and to the town centre which was previously opted for by residents but is now largely avoided. One woman, who went by the name 'Margaret', said: 'It doesn't feel safe living here anymore. 'The druggies take the bus here to the bus stop right outside, go into the stairwells and do their thing, then get right back on the bus the other way. 'The dealing in the stairwells has cleared up but the thing is it will just have moved the problem on elsewhere.' A woman in her 20s who has lives by the estate said: 'It used to be quite a friendly environment, used to go in the park area in the flats they used to have and play. 'But as we've grown older new people have come and the dynamics have changed completely. 'Now you'll see teenage boys hanging around over the back doing balloons and smoking weed. On the weekend you'll just smell weed in the whole area. 'There is less of it after the police did the ban but it's not really changed anything, they do still sneak in there. And on the weekend they'll throw parties, you can hear arguments, people drinking smashing bottles stuff like that. 'You do see gangs mainly near the pitch and you'll see drill rappers there doing their YouTube videos. 'I don't think the police banning them has changed anything. 'I think they tried to do what they could do with RBH but the police aren't here 24/7 and when it's past midnight they will come back and do what they need to do. And by the time they see police cars or hear sirens they just go off. 'For me I'm used to it, but for outsiders, like when my cousins visit from further north they always call it 'Drugdale' and they feel uncomfortable. 'Before back in the days it used to be older people causing trouble but now you see 14 or 15 year olds getting groomed into it.' One mother-of-two who lives nearby the estate told MailOnline: 'There's a lot of drug dealing going on there, pick ups and drop offs. 'And I haven't seen any difference. 'Having younger kids around here is difficult. I'm very careful about letting my kids play out, I don't let them cut across through the estate. 'The only reason we are here is we have family here, but we are thinking of moving. 'My daughter told me the other day she's walking through Freehold, I said 'no you're not'. 'There is an air of anxiety, every sort of five to six weeks there'll be something happening at the estate. 'There's always blue lights there, there was a stabbing recently. 'It all becomes one thing after the other. The blue lights are a constant. 'It's been hard to live around here with young children, there's a lot of influence, drug dealing, that sort of thing. 'There's a lot of gang culture. A lot of youth with not a lot to do, hanging around drug dealing. 'The poverty here is unreal. You can see the kids have nowhere to go, are probably born into it, see no way of being involved in things in the community, and instead end up involved in drugs and crime.' Another local who lives on one of the roads surrounding the estate said: 'I tend to stay away but I've heard there's issues with drugs. I've grown up here and it's not the same. 'I've not seen the dealing but I've seen the consequences. Everyday there's a police car or van that's nearby, sirens on a daily. 'At a point a few weeks ago it really did feel like it was everyday. 'It's not safe around here at all at night. 'We on this side of the road are mainly second generation families so we're quite proud of our community but it's just ruined it for our kids that they're getting a very different view of it. 'It was not like this before. Before the estate was built in the 70s it was a street of terraced housing on both sides. 'It was probably one of the best areas in Rochdale with lots of families and quite an educated area. 'Now the field at the back the other day you see a lot of dealing as well. Luckily my son understands what's going on so he's careful. 'But they meet in the field and car park behind, drive up a bit, and sell their stuff. 'I remember being a young boy walking through the flats to town and it was fine. 'But I wouldn't go through there now. 'At the time the people who were moving in were hardworking people but they've been replaced over the years with riffraff.' While the closure order was announced in November last year and put in place for three months, many said they saw little to no difference. One resident who lives opposite the block said: 'It would be really good if something could be done about it because I've lived on the block opposite for over a decade now and it's really bad. 'They did the three-month ban but they didn't really implement it. 'It didn't really change anything, people are still walking through it all the time. 'I think the dealing in the stairways has stopped, they cracked down on it, but other than that it's still not great.' Hayley Stockham, RBH Director of Neighbourhoods, said: 'We want to make sure that Freehold is a safe and welcoming place to live. 'We are working with our customers, residents and our partners at Rochdale Borough Council and Greater Manchester Police, to make this happen. 'I'm proud of the work that has taken place over the last few years to improve the estate. We've received positive feedback from the community and our initiatives have been nationally recognised. 'However, at the same time we know there is still work to do and this is continuing on a daily basis. 'I also want to be clear – we have a zero tolerance approach to crime and anti-social behaviour across all our estates and urge anyone who has any concerns to contact us so we can support them. We will take action against RBH customers who carry out any crime or anti-social behaviour as this breaches their tenancy agreements. 'In the most serious cases, this could even result in a customer being evicted. 'We'd urge anyone who sees criminal activity to report it to the police so it can be dealt with appropriately. 'We have a long term vision for Freehold and as part of this work, we're investing around £5m in improvements to the blocks, including new security measures for the stairwells. We've had some great feedback from the community who have helped us to shape these plans.' A GMP spokesperson said: 'The open-space closure order zone was in place for three months and not extended beyond that. 'The feedback from residents and communities about its impact has been really positive, and we have strengthened relationships with the community and partners. 'For Operation Affect, we made 48 arrests, carried out 11 warrants, there were three Full Closure Orders on properties suspected of being used for drug dealing, numerous injunctions and CBOs. 'There was an overall reduction of 13.5 per cent across all crimes in April compared to a year ago. 'Arrests and seizure have been driven by intelligence from the community to allow us to bring offenders to justice, and we are grateful for that information as it makes a huge difference and might be the final piece of the jigsaw we need. 'Enforcement was just the starting point – we are now working closely with Rochdale Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing to make Freehold a better place to live.'
Auto Blog
43 minutes ago
- Auto Blog
Trump Signs Ban on California EV Rules, Sparking Nationwide Reactions
President Trump has signed congressional resolutions overturning California's ability to mandate electric vehicle (EV) sales and establish its tailpipe and emissions standards via a federal waiver. Trump's resolutions immediately halt California's 2035 ban on new gas-powered car sales—a plan adopted by 11 states and Washington, D.C. In total, 17 other states representing 30% of the U.S. auto market have adopted some or all of California's stricter vehicle emissions standards. California also won't be able to enforce an increase in zero-emission heavy-duty truck sales and a low-nitrogen oxide regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles/engines. 'Today we're saving California, and we're saving our entire country from a disaster,' Trump said, according to The Hill. A Tesla sits parked at an electric vehicle charging station on June 12, 2025 in Corte Madera, California. — Source: Getty How California and other states are reacting to Trump's signing California's governor, Gavin Newsom, announced last month that his state would go to court to protect its federal waiver allowing its own clean air rules, claiming it exists outside of the Congressional Review Act's scope, which repealed the waiver. Now, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington are among the states joining California's legal battle. In March, the Government Accountability Office said California's waivers can't be repealed under the Congressional Review Act, and the Senate parliamentarian had advised not moving forward with the act, making the Senate's decision to go against the parliamentarian extremely rare. Former President Biden's waiver allowed 80% of the new vehicles that California sells to be all-electric by 2035, with the rest being advanced plug-in hybrids. The mandate's ramp-up period included 35% of new 2026 model cars sold in the state being zero-emission, increasing to 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035. CA Governor Gavin Newsom in a Tesla — Source: CAGovernor/Twitter California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the Air Resources Board to craft another mandate for cars and trucks to either support its existing mandates or replace them in the case of a court loss. Newsom also instructed the board to create a public list of automakers and truck manufacturers following California's emissions rules and companies acting early to convert fleets to zero-emission trucks, 'regardless of the status of those regulations under federal law,' Cal Matters reports. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is backing Trump While Trump's signings generated backlash, The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Stellantis, and other automakers, supported the president's decision, describing California's previous mandate as unachievable and something that would raise car prices. EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said, 'This is nothing more than California throwing a temper tantrum because the American people don't want the state's terrible policies,' according to Reuters. More than a quarter of California's new car sales are EVs, with New Jersey and New York following at 15% and 12%, respectively, The Alliance for Automotive Innovation reports. A view of an electric vehicle charging station on June 12, 2025 in Sausalito, California — Source: Getty Final thoughts Meeting California's EV mandates would've been challenging for automakers. Still, Congress's decision to block the state from setting its emissions standards sets off a domino effect that could significantly slow EV development throughout the country. Michael Gerrard, the founder of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, said: 'The chief winners of this move are the oil industry and China. Electric vehicles are the main threat to the demand for oil, and this move further cements China as the global leader in producing electric vehicles,' according to NBC. A decrease in EV adoption resulting from Congress's repeal could also pose health risks, as California stated its EV sales mandate would prevent around 1,300 cardiopulmonary deaths between 2026 and 2040. About the Author Cody Carlson View Profile
