Carla Murphy Has Baby, Allegedly Smokes Bath Salts, Punches Nurse, Tries To Bite Cop

A Pennsylvania mom who had just given birth is accused of smoking synthetic "bath salts" in the hospital and going on a violent rampage, assaulting a nurse and a police officer.

Carla Murphy, 31, of Altoona, was recovering in the hospital on June 17 after delivering her baby two days earlier, The Altoona Mirror reported. Police say that Murphy smoked the synthetic drug, prompting her to strip off her clothes and go wild in the bathroom.

Murphy rolled around on the shower floor, confused and unable to state her own name. Cops arrived to calm her, and found in her purse a dismantled black pen with powder inside that the mother later called "Disco" -- a street name for bath salts -- the paper reported.

As Murphy flailed about, a nurse administered the anti-psychotic drug Haldol. Murphy responded by punching a nurse in the face, the New York Daily News reported.

She reportedly remained aggressive, cursing and trying to escape the hospital room. An officer restrained her, but Murphy managed to stand up, hit and attempt to bite a cop. Police then handcuffed and arrested Murphy, who also kicked a nurse in the chest on her way out of the room.

Authorities escorted Murphy to the Blair County Prison and charged her with aggravated assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, felony possession of a designer drug and harassment. A subsequent search of her home revealed more bath salts, aluminum foil, and a broken glass bottle with brown residue on it, cops told the Daily News.

Police arrested her boyfriend, Michael Stewart, on drug paraphernalia charges after a search of his home.

Bath salts, a synthetic cocaine-like substance found in smoke shops and gas stations, can lead to paranoia and hallucinations. It is legal in many states -- though not for smoking -- and is connected to a few, though not all, recent cannibalistic attacks.

Clarification: While certain synthetic chemicals found in bath salts are federally banned to possess and sell, some states -- like Indiana -- are still working to outlaw them.