Police: Durham Man Got High on Heroin, Chased Mother Down the Street

A Durham man who admitted to shooting up heroin and taking Xanax pills was arrested last week after chasing his mother down the street, according to State Police.

Matthew Popek, 23, was arrested on Monday, March 11. He was charged with breach of peace and two counts of possession of narcotics.

According to a report, police responded to 254 Maiden Lane around 10 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from Ewa Kulenski, who said that her son, identified as Popek, was doing drugs in her home.

Kulenski told police that she had returned home from work around 8 a.m. and "discovered her son with a syringe and his sleeve rolled up getting ready to do some drugs in his bedroom."

When she grabbed a pill bottle on her son's dresser he became angry and started chasing her down the stairs, the report says. The chase continued along Maiden Lane where Kulenski yelled for help, police say.

Eventually, two neighbors walking their dog stopped Popek and he returned to the home, according to the report.

When police went to the home to investigate, they say Popek admitted to "shooting up five bags of heroin" that morning and taking 4 or 5 Xanax pills. During their investigation, police discovered a small amount of heroin and 56 Xanax pills.

Popek, who was "incoherent" according to police, was taken to Middlesex Hospital where he was later released and arrested on the charges. His bond was set at $2,500.

Popek was arrested last November and charged with interfering with an officer and failure to appear.