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S.C. Arrests 8 In Phelps Bong Investigation

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:26:02 AM EST
Tags: Michael Phelps (all tags)
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New levels of absurdity in the Michael Phelps bong case. WIS News reports:

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.

[Hat tip to Tom at LEAP]

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    S.C. Arrests 8 In Phelps Bong Investigation | 39 comments (39 topical)

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    Really? (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by andgarden on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:34:42 AM EST
    Remind me never to go to South Carolina.

    You are sooooo prejudiced (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:35:28 AM EST
    against the South!!!!

    Parent
    more like post-judiced (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by coigue on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:09:27 PM EST
    as in....after seeing some evidence, coming out against.

    Parent
    Empirical (5.00 / 2) (#25)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:15:35 PM EST


    Parent
    well...I guess if you are into REAL words. (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by coigue on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 03:47:11 PM EST


    Parent
    Admitted (none / 0) (#6)
    by andgarden on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:36:32 AM EST


    Parent
    Trying to sell on eBay? (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:35:00 AM EST
    Felony dumb.

    Why? (5.00 / 3) (#13)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:03:19 PM EST
    It is a bong...a hollowed out tube made of glass with many uses...smoking device, vase, ornament, paper weight, Olympic swimmer memorabilia.

    What is "felony dumb" is that selling a hollowed out glass tube on ebay could be considered criminal in any way, shape, or form...that is what is hoplelessly, tremendously, mind bogglingly dumb, imo.

    That and the S. Carolina Authorities...what pieces of sh*t to use this brew-ha-ha to get their names in the paper, and maybe a funding increase...all while dragging eight slobs through the proverbial ringer.  All over the infamous bong hit seen around the world, one of a million being pulled as I type I'm sure.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.

    Sh*t...I'm gonna need a couple extra myself tonight after reading this...it's hard staying sane in this crazy world, almost impossible.  And so much of the madness so very unnecessary, the truly maddening part.

    Parent

    Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by squeaky on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:08:42 PM EST
    Ask Tommy Chong, and our man Biden is the guy that wrote the legislation that put him away.

    Parent
    Kind of like a burglar leaving his (none / 0) (#18)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:09:38 PM EST
    wallet at the scene of the crime.

    Parent
    No.... (5.00 / 3) (#20)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:19:18 PM EST
    nothing at all like that...burglarly is a real crime...with one of those "victim" thingies.

    Parent
    KDog: Can you spell... (none / 0) (#24)
    by Peter G on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:14:36 PM EST
    paraphernalia (search for "44-53-391")?  (Ok, I admit it, no one can confidently spell that word, but you get my drift.) Interestingly, advertising paraphernalia for sale in S.C. appears not to be a crime, but rather is subject to a "civil fine" of up to $500.

    Parent
    Oh I know Peter.... (5.00 / 3) (#29)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:21:42 PM EST
    I just never understood why apples aren't considered paraphernalia, and hollowed glass tubes are.

    As any McGyver-esque stoner will tell you, the world is one big piece of paraphernalia:)

    Not to mention, tobacco smoking is still legal, you could "technically" use a bong for tobacco.

    Parent

    Oh so true. (none / 0) (#8)
    by Fabian on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:47:08 AM EST
    I've seen it happen too many times to be surprised by it anymore.

    Parent
    Greatest athlete ever (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by lilburro on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:05:06 PM EST
    Nice scalp under your belt, I guess.  What are they thinking?

    We need to apply the prosecutorial passion of these folks to Bush & Cheney.

    Need a picture... (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:13:23 PM EST
    of them ripping tubes before that'll happen I guess.

    Parent
    silly me, (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by cpinva on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:49:58 PM EST
    i've yet to see any actual evidence of anyone breaking any law, except the one against bad taste.

    the infamous picture, of mr. phelps with the bong to his mouth, shows no evidence of smoke in it, which there very clearly would be, were he actually smoking something, anything, in it.

    he himself has made no public admission of illegal conduct, merely a display of bad judgement. that, and $1, will get you coffee at mcd's.

    unless they can prove, should there be any pot residue, that mr. phelps' DNA is on it, they're going to have a difficult time convincing anyone that he smoked it. given the publicity this has obtained, should he be arrested, by the local authorities, i expect his attorney would request a change of venue.

    this strikes me as a publicity stunt, by the local sheriff. he'll get more out of this one arrest, than in his entire career in the aggregate.

    Why change venue when (none / 0) (#34)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:06:44 PM EST
    you lose any chance of college students on the jury?

    Parent
    Balko wrote the guy up in September (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:04:34 PM EST
    http://www.theagitator.com/2008/09/01/oh-come-on/
    citing this from Policemag

    The Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff's Department has acquired an armored personnel carrier complete with a turret-mounted .50-caliber belt-fed machine gun for its Special Response Team.
    Sheriff Leon Lott told the Columbia State newspaper that he hoped the vehicle, named "The Peacemaker," would let the bad guys know that his officers are serious.

    "We don't look at this as a killing machine," Lott told the paper. "It's going to keep the peace. We hope the fact that we have this is going to save lives. When something like this rolls up, it's time to give up."

    Drugwarrant has a pic of the Sheriff posing with his toy.

    So is the sheriff responsible for this (none / 0) (#35)
    by Inspector Gadget on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:08:51 PM EST
    8 arrest fiasco? I thought it took a DA to press charges.

    I'm trying to figure out if the owner of the bong, one of the 8 arrests, was charged with possession or distribution...since he wasn't there.

    I've heard that the residue in a bong or pipe can be used to put possession as the charge.

    The pure stupidity of all this should make all people roll their eyes in disgust at the drug laws in this country.


    Parent

    The best part (none / 0) (#38)
    by 1980Ford on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:22:08 PM EST
    Sheriff Lott stated that the name selected from the entries will be "The Peacemaker" because that is the APC's purpose and the bible refers to law enforcement in Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God".

    I still want to know who sold the picture for a few pieces of silver.

    Parent

    Reefer Madness 2009. n/t (none / 0) (#1)
    by LarryInNYC on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:30:13 AM EST


    Holy sheet (none / 0) (#2)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:33:26 AM EST
    What a world we live in.

    A world of Sadism (none / 0) (#27)
    by NYShooter on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:17:43 PM EST
    ,,,and a word not given enough scrutiny.

    It lurks just beneath the surface in many, many souls, and not just in cops, prison guards, and prosecutors. What do you think goes through the heart and mind of an average schlep Wal Mart cashier when a pretty girl, with an overloaded shopping cart, has her visa/mc card rejected? The face looks sad but the heart is doing a happy dance....on steroids.

    Parent

    Generalize much? (none / 0) (#37)
    by cymro on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:20:53 PM EST
    I did not know that the typical WalMart cashier was an unsympathetic sadist. Is that because I don't shop there?

    Parent
    Will the stimulus bill (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:39:51 AM EST
    provide additional cops on the street in S.C.?

    Sounds like they got too many already... (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:04:24 PM EST
    if they've spent more than a millisecond of man hours on this.  Way too many.

    Parent
    Re-election? (none / 0) (#9)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:47:50 AM EST
    Sheriff Lott's a Dem, unopposed in 2008, up for re-election in 2010.

    Obama took 64% in the County.

    Is it easier to beat Lott in the Primary, or by capturing the Republican nomination?

    Sounds like a minority-majority county (none / 0) (#11)
    by andgarden on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:55:01 AM EST
    The only way you're going to beat him is in the primary.

    Parent
    Ok, here's our info (none / 0) (#12)
    by andgarden on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:56:50 AM EST
    The racial makeup of the county was 50.29% White, 45.16% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
    You need to find a black guy to run against him in the primary.

    Parent
    I've got the urge.... (none / 0) (#16)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:07:56 PM EST
    to beat this fool allright, but not at the polls.

    Parent
    University of S. Carolina (none / 0) (#26)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:15:40 PM EST
    Sheriff races, generally speaking, cross Party lines more than any other. We've had Republican Sheriffs here in Madison, who'd run to the left of their Democratic opponents.

    Parent
    The South is the South (none / 0) (#28)
    by andgarden on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:21:20 PM EST
    Republicans don't win in places that are more than about 43% black. And the Democratic primary is likely to be about 50-60% black.

    Parent
    "I'll donate to a candidate (none / 0) (#36)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 02:08:56 PM EST
    against Sheriff Lott"Facebook group

    Parent
    Just nuts. (none / 0) (#10)
    by desertswine on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 11:49:33 AM EST


    Must not be much real crime in SC (none / 0) (#21)
    by Democratic Cat on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:49:54 PM EST
    What are they going to do?  DNA test it to prove this was THE bong Phelps used and it does indeed have pot residue?  What a frakin' waste of time.

    Insane. Totally insane. (none / 0) (#22)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    But, then again, people start questioning whether the PD is doing their job when international superstars come to their town to break the law.

    Good luck to all involved.

    The self-righteous (none / 0) (#30)
    by Inspector Gadget on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:25:53 PM EST
    have inherited the country.
    I'm glad (none / 0) (#31)
    by jharp on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:35:28 PM EST
    Though I an genuinely sorry for those who have had their lives disrupted maybe this is the moment that the war on drugs has "jumped the shark".

    I hope something good comes out of it.

    S.C. Arrests 8 In Phelps Bong Investigation | 39 comments (39 topical)

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