Powder 'hidden' in deodorant not cocaine

SHAKOPEE, Minn., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A Shakopee, Minn., man was released from jail after two months when a white powder found in a car he was driving turned out not to be drugs.

Cornelius Salonis, 31, was arrested Aug. 3 for driving while intoxicated. He was held in jail because officers reported a white substance found in a deodorant container in the car field tested positive for cocaine, the Mankato (Minn.) Daily Press reported Monday.

However, the felony drug charges were dismissed Wednesday after a more comprehensive test performed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found no illegal substances in the powder. Authorities said they do not know if the initial field test was faulty or improperly administered.

The dropping of the drug charge allowed Salonis to plead guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. He was sentenced to one year in jail, with all but 90 days of the sentence stayed. He had already served 60 days and the remaining 30 days were taken off for good behavior so he was set free after the plea deal.