.Eight arrested in Michael Phelps case
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - New details have emerged about a party where Olympic champion Michael Phelps was spotted.
On Feb. 2, a British tabloid published a picture of the 14-time Olympic gold medalist using a water pipe to smoke marijuana. The picture was taken at a party in Columbia back in November when Phelps was here for a visit.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department has been taking a lot of heat from people in this country and all over the world.
They want to know why Sheriff Leon Lott is going after Michael Phelps.
Many are saying the sheriff should concentrate on more serious crimes, or at the very least, not focus solely on the Olympic champion when there were others at the party who were also breaking the law.
Now it appears the case has expanded beyond Phelps' activities.
The party took place in November at a house on Blossom Street near Five Points.
It was at that house where someone snapped the photo of Phelps taking a hit on a marijuana pipe called a bong.
Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn't ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.
We've now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they've made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff's department served search warrants.
We've also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong.
Sources say the owner of the bong was trying to sell it on eBay for as much as $100,000.
The owner, who wasn't even at the party, is one of the eight now charged.
Phelps is not one of those charged at this point, but the sheriff's department has strong evidence that matches the photo to the house on Blossom Street.
That house is in the city, but the Columbia Police Department decided not to initiate or take an active role in the investigation.
Governor Mark Sanford is also weighing in on the sheriff's actions.
On the FOX News Channel Sunday night, Geraldo Rivera asked Sanford whether Phelps should be prosecuted.
"I don't see what it gets at this point," said Sanford.
His spokesman told us Monday night Sanford is letting that quote stand.
WIS News
I have no idea what anyone is being charged with, taking a picture with a bong is not illegal, but I guess someone snitched...Maybe they should all claim not to have inhaled.
Then again, maybe we should dump our drug laws and start again...Or we can just go around charging anyone even if just for a picture with a bong, or apparently trying to sell a bong on e-bay.
On Feb. 2, a British tabloid published a picture of the 14-time Olympic gold medalist using a water pipe to smoke marijuana. The picture was taken at a party in Columbia back in November when Phelps was here for a visit.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department has been taking a lot of heat from people in this country and all over the world.
They want to know why Sheriff Leon Lott is going after Michael Phelps.
Many are saying the sheriff should concentrate on more serious crimes, or at the very least, not focus solely on the Olympic champion when there were others at the party who were also breaking the law.
Now it appears the case has expanded beyond Phelps' activities.
The party took place in November at a house on Blossom Street near Five Points.
It was at that house where someone snapped the photo of Phelps taking a hit on a marijuana pipe called a bong.
Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn't ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.
We've now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they've made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff's department served search warrants.
We've also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong.
Sources say the owner of the bong was trying to sell it on eBay for as much as $100,000.
The owner, who wasn't even at the party, is one of the eight now charged.
Phelps is not one of those charged at this point, but the sheriff's department has strong evidence that matches the photo to the house on Blossom Street.
That house is in the city, but the Columbia Police Department decided not to initiate or take an active role in the investigation.
Governor Mark Sanford is also weighing in on the sheriff's actions.
On the FOX News Channel Sunday night, Geraldo Rivera asked Sanford whether Phelps should be prosecuted.
"I don't see what it gets at this point," said Sanford.
His spokesman told us Monday night Sanford is letting that quote stand.
WIS News
I have no idea what anyone is being charged with, taking a picture with a bong is not illegal, but I guess someone snitched...Maybe they should all claim not to have inhaled.
Then again, maybe we should dump our drug laws and start again...Or we can just go around charging anyone even if just for a picture with a bong, or apparently trying to sell a bong on e-bay.
posted by madtom at 6:31 PM
12 Comments:
Tommy Chong went to the pen for selling bongs online. It was pretty outrageous. How can a piece of glass that can be used to smoke anything legal or not, or used as a paper weight be illegal?
There has to be a lot more to this story. No way anyone can be charged for being at a party where someone took a picture of another person with a bong to their lips. I wonder if there wasn't a police informer involved with lots of pictures of everybody there, money evidence, drug evidence, etc. The original story said Phelps suddenly got paranoid and couldn't leave fast enough. Wonder if someone whispered in his ear that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A police informant? of someone selling bong hits at a party?
That guy has the most secure job in America.
Well, if they arrested that many, I bet there was a lot more than a little pot involved. He may have been brought there by a friend to buy a little smoke, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a brick of coke under the bed, etc, etc. I went to college once and learned it was best not to go along blindly on expeditions like that.
So you think Phelps walked into a sting operation?
Or said party was like a pot Tupperware party?
Or someone at a party said, hey I'll call a buddy of mine and he'll bring over some?
Which ever way you go, it's still angels and needles.
It's the wrong argument to be having. What we should examine is why it's so illegal in the first place.
Would you like to be deposed as to your last statement?
Maybe you should be forced to give up the list of names.
I was merely relating an example of what might have happened and it may or may not have resembled an actual event that I personally experienced. Wait, someone is coming up the driveway......
LoL
That's my story, am I'm sticking to it.
They are not at your driveway tonight....but they're watching.
There is a story tonight on PBS on how Texas law enforcement cashes in on Federal money. The cop just makes it up, they convict some poor black guy on uncollaborated testimony, and they get rewarded with the federal dollars.
I guess now that we are all even, it's not just for black people anymore.
So Michael Phelps is a guy who drinks at parties smokes a little gambles on high stakes games of beer pong and is the all time greatest Olympic medal winner he sounds like a pretty cool guy to me. Michael Phelps is an American Hero. He stood tall and made America proud at the Beijing Olympics. This is how he is treated. Michael Phelps did a tremendous amount of work to achive what he did. Who can forget the pride we felt with the each gold medal Phelps won in China, how can we as Americans forget all of those things and hang a man for smoking a glass water pipe at a college party. It is time that we as a country stand up for the rights of the individual, it’s time we stand together with our neighbors and take collective control of our destinies. Write any congressman or a senator; imagine the weight of millions of emails calling for a change in policy. Lets stop them from arresting college kids at parties in America.
SunflowerPipes.com
I'd say we're being spamed. I mean Sunflower Pipes? is that a head shop? I can't tell because the link is broken.
We always recommend that people link first, and puff second. Other than that I agree.
The people have to understand going in is that we are against a huge monster of a lobby. corrections is a huge industry, and they will not give up their cash crop without a fight.
Yeah, the link is for a retail site selling bongs. Not bad prices.... no TFW is on a database somewhere as a site promoting illegal drug activities. I'm trying to decide if I should report you now to avoid any questions later.....
Hey at least we made it on a list somewhere, just as long as they spell the name right and have working links.
And besides we do not promote illegal activities, we are just advocating a change in the current law, a first amendment right granted to all.
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