What About The Other 8?

Sheriff Lott: Now drop the other pot charges

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2009/02/sheriff_lott_now_drop_the_othe.html

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he won't file criminal charges against Michael Phelps for being photographed with a bong pressed up to his face. Now the sheriff should stop hassling the eight people he arrested to try to build evidence against Phelps. Presumably some/all are college kids. Aside from the legal consequences, a drug conviction can jeopardize student financial aid, enrollment etc.

Check out this account of some of these arrests:

From the Associated Press:

http://www.examiner.com/x-625-Olympics-Examiner~y2009m2d18-Phelps-leaves-charges-in-his-wake-can-others

One of the attorneys representing the three students arrested said the accused were all in their early 20s. Attorney Dick Harpootlian said police kicked in the doors with guns drawn during the raids and found less than a cigarette's worth of marijuana in the house where the party was held. The other raid netted about four or five cigarettes' worth, Harpootlian said.

The lawyer expects his clients to either have the charges dismissed or for them to get a conditional discharge, which allows an offender to avoid punishment as long as they comply with certain conditions for six months and stay out of trouble.

"We hope these kids are treated the same as any other kids," he said.