Halibut Cove residents on Monday had to tie up and restrain a man Alaska State Troopers said was having “a drug induced paranoid-delusional psychotic break down.” 

At about 1 p.m. June 16 troopers received multiple 911 calls from Halibut Cover residents regarding the erratic behavior of a 32-year-old Anchor Point man. Callers said that at one point the man had gone into the water for at least 30 minutes. Two Alaska State Troopers, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper and a Homer Volunteer Fire Department medic responded in a trooper patrol boat. 

In a press release, troopers said Halibut Cove residents tied up the man because he acted violently. They also warmed him with blankets. On the boat ride back, the man’s mental state began to improve, troopers said. An ambulance met the man at the harbor and he was taken to South Peninsula Hospital. 

Troopers said the man admitted to taking methamphetamines and “bath salts,” white crystals or powder that are synthetic versions of the stimulant chemicals methylenedioxypyrovalerone, mephedrone and methylone. These chemicals are similar to those found in khat, a plant commonly used in Africa.