North Carolina Man Arrested For Drug Trafficking After Falling Asleep While Driving Tesla

A guy in North Carolina got busted for drug trafficking after cops pulled him over . . . because he fell asleep behind the wheel of his self-driving car.

Man Arrested After Falling Asleep While Tesla Drives on Highway, Charged with Drug Trafficking

A man was arrested and faces multiple drug trafficking charges after reportedly falling asleep while his Tesla was in motion on U.S. Highway 70. The incident unfolded around 4 p.m. on Friday, when Wilson's Mills police were alerted to a white Tesla traveling west on U.S. 70 with a seemingly unconscious driver.

Police quickly located the Tesla and confirmed that the driver, identified as Michael Goodman, was indeed asleep. When officers attempted to pull the car over, the Tesla continued to drive autonomously for about a mile. To safely bring the vehicle to a halt, officers maneuvered their patrol cars in front of the Tesla, triggering its sensors and forcing it to stop.

After stopping the car and rousing the driver, officers conducted a sobriety test and proceeded to search the vehicle. They discovered several dozen boxes of vape pens filled with various illegal substances. The substances included 200 grams of THC (marijuana), 400 grams of methamphetamine, and 400 grams of MDMA (Ecstasy).

Goodman was arrested and charged with multiple felonies:

• Trafficking MDMA, a Class D felony
• Trafficking methamphetamine, also a Class D felony
• Possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, a Class H felony
• Felony possession of marijuana, a Class I felony
• Reckless driving and failure to heed emergency lights/sirens, both Class 2 misdemeanors

Wilson's Mills Police Chief Says:

"We were fortunate to have been alerted about the vehicle first and foremost, then to have been able to stop the vehicle before it reached the I-40 interchange was the best possible outcome," said Wilson's Mills Police Chief A.Z. Williams. "I’ve been in this business for a long time and you think you’ve seen it all. There is always something new."

Goodman is being held on a $50,000 secured bond as the investigation continues.