A Republican city council member in Rhode Island is under fire after police found him passed out in his car with crack laced with fentanyl on him. Matthew Reilly, a member of Cranston City Council, was arrested on Monday (May 15) after a bystander alerted police that he appeared to be choking and in need of medical intervention.

Body camera footage showed the officer approaching the councilman and trying to wake him up. When the cop tells him that he was “literally choking in your sleep,” the politician responded, “I have sleep apnea! I’m sorry.” The officer then pointed out, “You have a crack pipe in your hands.” Reilly went on to admit to authorities that it was a moment of weakness. “It was a relapse; I’ve been clean for 13 years,” he explained. “I just went through a really bad divorce recently.” Check out the clip below.

Reilly was charged with one count of drug possession and released pending a court appearance on June 15. According to ABC 6, Mayor Kenneth Hopkins expressed his desire to see him get better. “My hope is Matt will get whatever care and attention he needs for his own well-being,” the mayor said on Tuesday (May 16). “I agree with Council President [Jessica] Marino that everyone should allow the court system and judicial process to work towards an appropriate resolution.” Marino, meanwhile, called the arrest and criminal charges “very concerning and disappointing.”

In the aftermath of the incident, the politician resigned from his post as chairman of the Cranston Republican Party. Yesterday (May 18), he announced he was stepping down from the city council altogether. Mayor Hopkins was pleased with Reilly’s choice to leave public service to work on himself.

“Matt made the right decision to step down so that he can focus his full attention on his well-being and young family,” the mayor said, per ABC 6. “Matt Reilly chose to put the interests of his constituents above his political interests.”