Lexington cop resigns for using kratom on duty, leading to ‘psychotic’ state
A Lexington police officer previously suspended for crashing his patrol car five times in two years has resigned after taking kratom while on duty, leading to a “psychotic state,” according to city disciplinary records.
John Gibbons II resigned Aug. 8 after an internal investigation determined he regularly took kratom while working for the Lexington Police Department. He was suspended from duty for one week in December 2024 for repeatedly crashing his patrol car.
At least two of those crashes were related to Gibbons’ kratom use, according to internal investigation documents posted in an online database by Lexington police.
The police department’s disciplinary board recommended Gibbons be fired, but he resigned instead.
The investigation began in May, when a police lieutenant filed a complaint alleging that about two months earlier, Gibbons was disoriented, confused and “obviously impaired” after consuming over-the-counter kratom while on duty in his patrol car.
Kratom is an herbal substance that can produce opioid and stimulant-like effects. Its reported uses include management of drug withdrawal, but it can cause effects of increased energy, alertness, rapid heart rate, relaxation, pain relief and confusion. Symptoms of the drug include confusion, tremors, seizures, high blood pressure, slow breathing, nausea and vomiting.
Kratom is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but it is listed as a “drug of chemical concern” by the Drug Enforcement Administration. A 2024 Kentucky law imposed age restrictions, product standards and labeling requirements on the drug. It can be purchased over the counter at many gas stations and vape shops.
According to the investigation, Gibbons told his superior officers his Kratom use was an “almost everyday occurrence” from August 2024 to December 2024.
On multiple occasions, Gibbons had seizures and blackouts requiring hospitalization because of his kratom use, according to the investigation. In at least one instance, coworkers thought he was overdosing.
On July 13, 2024, Gibbons called 911 while on duty in his police cruiser because he became disoriented and was in a “psychotic state” after taking the drug.
All five of Gibbons’ documented crashes were minor, and no one was injured, though he failed to report at least one to his supervisor, according to disciplinary records.
The crashes date back to April 5, 2023, when Gibbons hit a police car while trying to parallel park on Nicholasville Road in a police “wagon,” used to transport people to jail.
Gibbons “drove too close, causing the passenger side of the wagon to come into contact with the other (police) vehicle’s rear taillight,” according to an investigation summary by the department’s Public Integrity Unit.
Gibbons worked as a Lexington police officer since April 2021.
The Lexington Police Department declined to comment.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 11:37 AM.
