Sheriff: Cleburne woman found parked on Ranger Highway had smoked K-2

A Cleburne woman found parked Thursday in the middle of Ranger Highway in Parker County admitted to having smoked K-2, Parker County sheriff’s officials say.

Diane Garcia, 43, initially told deputies that she had taken a prescribed “medicine” around noon Thursday but later admitted smoking K-2, a synthetic cannabinoid, from a glass pipe deputies spotted on the floor of her pickup, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office.

Passing motorists had called 911 about 6 p.m. after finding the woman conscious but laying in the seat of a Ford Ranger pickup parked in the center, westbound lane of the 2500 block of Ranger Highway. The area is southwest of Weatherford.

By the time deputies arrived, the woman was standing outside the truck with concerned citizens on the side of the roadway.

Garcia told responding deputies that she was traveling from Fort Worth to Cleburne but did not know where she was at, the release states.

The release states Garcia had an unsteady balance and was slurring her words. Deemed a danger to herself and others, she was arrested and her vehicle towed from the scene.

“It’s difficult to believe there are people who think this drug is safe, and want to legalize drugs,” Sheriff Larry Fowler said in a prepared statement. “This incident could have resulted in a deadly accident. There is a reason K-2 is illegal.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Sheriff: Cleburne woman found parked on Ranger Highway had smoked K-2."