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South Florida doctor arrested, accused of drugging woman's drink

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A South Florida doctor is under arrest, accused of drugging a woman's drink.

According to Boca Raton police, a customer said she saw Mircea Morariu pour a powder-like substance into a woman's drink while she was in the bathroom at Ouzo Bay, a restaurant at 201 Plaza Real, on Sept. 10.

When that woman returned, she consumed the drink, according to police.

The customer and managers at Ouzo called police, and put the drink aside, so police would be able to have it for evidence.

"Again, a lot of people would have probably poured that drink out. Our staff is told not to pour that drink out, keep it, so they can test it," said Eric Smith, managing partner of the Atlas Restaurant Group, who owns Atlas. "We also went upstairs, checked our cameras, saw that there was evidence he had done something of this nature."

Officers said they made contact with Morariu as he left a bathroom, and he denied pouring anything in the woman's drink.

Police said they found a clear plastic bag containing a white powder residue in a trash can in the men's bathroom. They said tests showed the bag contained Zolpidem and Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax and Ambien.

According to a toxicology report, the combination of alcohol, Alprazolam, and Zolpidem would likely cause one to become sleepy and possibly unconscious.

Police said the woman told them she's known Morariu for almost 20 years and they met to have drinks. She said that after returning from the bathroom, Morariu pushed her drink toward her and told her he wanted her to finish it, according to police.

The woman was taken to the hospital, where police said she was slightly incoherent.

Morariu is now facing a charge of Poisoning Food/Water with Intent to Kill or Injury.

In court on Tuesday, a judge ordered Morariu not to have any contact with the alleged victim. Morariu will be released to enter an in-patient drug and alcohol treatment program.

Boca Police says that would normally tell people to leave their drinks with friends, if they need to go to the bathroom or something, but now they would recommend just ordering a new drink if you need to leave a drink unattended.

Police say it took months to arrest Morariu because they were waiting on toxicology reports.

He was arrested at The Woods', the restaurant in Jupiter belonging to Tiger Woods.

Morariu is a neurologist with the Florida Neurological Center in Delray Beach. The office did not comment on his arrest.