Medics find suspected drugs in patient's sock
By Elizabeth Billips Associate Editor

An injured driver will probably face drug charges after the emergency medical staff at the Medical College of Georgia found a cocaine-like substance in her sock.

According to reports filed at the Burke County Sheriff's Office, Tracey Paula Dietz, 42, of Hephzibah wrecked on Highway 56 South around 7 a.m. Saturday morning.

She lost control of her Saturn, slammed into a tree and flipped.

Her passenger, Ronald Lovett of Swainsboro, was transported to MCG for treatment.

Dietz refused treatment at the scene but rode along with Lovett and requested treatment once she arrived.

At the hospital, Dietz lost consciousness and medical personnel began removing her clothes to check for injuries, the report said.

When they took off one of her socks, they found a tube containing a substance believed to be cocaine divided into small paper and plastic packages.

Charges against Deitz are pending the results of her blood tests and analysis of the powder.