A nationally recognized advocate for recovering drug addicts was arrested Wednesday after a Bensalem homeowner found him inside her house talking to her toddler daughter — an incident the man says he doesn’t remember.
Bensalem police also say they found a baggie with white residue in the pocket of Devin J. Fox, 28, of Belford, N.J. Fox allegedly told police they may find crystal methamphetamine in the backseat of his car, but he claimed it wasn’t his, according to court documents.
The homeowner heard her 2-year-old daughter talking to someone in the kitchen shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday in the 2300 block of Byberry Road. When she went to investigate, she found Fox in the room with her daughter. Fox allegedly told the woman he was “there for the daughter,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The woman, who didn’t know Fox, screamed for him to leave, police said. Fox then ran out of the home and tried to get into the homeowner’s car, police said.
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| Devin Fox |
The woman yelled for employees at a nearby garage to help her; an employee detained Fox until police arrived, according to a probable cause affidavit. Neither the homeowner nor her child was injured.
Police said Fox told them he left his addiction recovery home about 5 a.m. Wednesday, but got lost while driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Court documents didn’t indicate where Fox was headed.
At some point, Fox said he hit a median and got a flat tire, police said. After changing the tire, he called AAA because his car was acting up and had it towed to Knights Collision on Byberry Road, police said. He told police he fell asleep in his car in the Knights parking lot and that’s when his memory gets hazy, according to the affidavit.
“Devin doesn’t remember exactly what happened next, but admitted that he entered the victim’s home, but had no explanation why he was in the home,” according to the affidavit, which said he admitted not knowing the homeowner.
In the affidavit, police said it appeared Fox may have been involved in some kind of drug use. Fox denied using drugs, according to court papers.
Bensalem police confirmed that Fox is executive director of Young People in Recovery, which is described as a national grassroots advocacy organization promoting public policy that helps young drug addicts in recovery. He was honored earlier this year by the White House Office of National Drug Policy as an “Advocate for Action.”
In a profile that appears on the Young People in Recovery website, Fox describes himself as being in long-term recovery from drugs and alcohol.
He is a recovery advocate for the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, an advocacy leader for the New Jersey affiliate of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and the primary therapist at a Princeton behavioral health center, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful in immediately reaching Young People in Recovery for comment Thursday afternoon.
Fox was arraigned Wednesday night before Bensalem District Judge Joseph Falcone on charges of criminal trespassing, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $70,000 bail.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
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