Earlier this week, Jacob Sullum noted that the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department went out and arrested eight people on marijuana charges allegedly associated with the now-famous bong photo of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
Attorneys for two of those eight are now speaking out about how they were arrested.
“He’s sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot,” Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine.
“They never asked him, ‘Who sold you the pot?’” Harpootlian continued. “They were asking, ‘Were you at the party with Michael Phelps? Did you see him using marijuana?’ It was all about Michael Phelps.”
The charges resulted from Saturday’s raids and are not connected to the November party that Phelps attended.
Harpootlian, the former top prosecutor for Richland and Kershaw counties, and McCulloch contend Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is conducting an overzealous investigation of their clients to try to get evidence against Phelps.
“The sheriff’s department is deploying resources they are normally reserving for major drug dealers and major criminals,” said McCulloch, also a former prosecutor...
Harpootlian said his client, whom he noted is on leave from USC, is “scared” because of the enormous publicity surrounding Phelps.
“He’s being treated more harshly than any kid anywhere in the country,” Harpootlian said. “The only reefer madness is being done at the sheriff’s department.”
According to Harpootlian and McCulloch, police seized four laptop computers, a desktop computer, a computer storage drive and a cell phone, mostly to search for incriminating photos of Phelps.
I guess they can at least be thankful Sheriff Leon Lott didn't send his tank.
Another glorious moment in America's drug war.
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSS
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time.
|2.13.09 @ 3:19PM|#
Rolling Stone cover: Phelps crucified on a cross of ganja, the wound in his side weeping hash oil.
|2.13.09 @ 3:20PM|#
I've fallen into a rabbit-hole. That must be it.
Today I had a day-mare about having my child removed from my custody because I allowed to go outside and play, and she broke an arm, and I was hauled in for child abuse because I did not take her to a government approved playground.
Am I just paranoid, or are we headed down that road?
|2.13.09 @ 3:25PM|#
Leon Lott,
I only say this because I care.
Seek professional help immediately.
|2.13.09 @ 3:27PM|#
I'm just waiting for the Congressional perjury charges to be brought against Phelps for not disclosing his "doping" at the White House congratulations ceremony for being the best-goddamned-olypmic-athelete-ever. I mean, Tejada and his batball are so integral to the fabric of our nation, we need to stand this Phelps guy up and knock him down hard, for NationalSecurity's sake, ya know.
Xeones|2.13.09 @ 3:29PM|#
Yo, fuck Leon Lott AND his tank.
NeonCat|2.13.09 @ 3:30PM|#
Seriously, what's this asshole sheriff's problem? Is he shocked, *shocked* that pot smoking happens in his county? Is it because Phelps was in town and didn't drop by the station to sign autographs?
|2.13.09 @ 3:31PM|#
Well? What's it going to be? Will this be too far? Will people finally say enough over this? Or will "we've got to butt fuck Phelps for the children" be generally accepted?
guy in the back row|2.13.09 @ 3:32PM|#
What's the fun of being rich and famous if you can't do drugs and anonymous women? Really, what's the point?
|2.13.09 @ 3:34PM|#
Is Lott hoping to get praise, medals of honor and a book deal out of this? These are tremendous lengths to go to over a bong hit.
MAX HATS|2.13.09 @ 3:37PM|#
The sheriff wants to be famous. No one ends up in national newspapers as a ridiculously over the top "tough on crime" sheriff twice. My guess is he's either angling for a job providing color commentary to FOX's Greatest Police Shootings, or a political career.
|2.13.09 @ 3:39PM|#
@Warren: based on Lott's resume, "we've got to butt fuck Phelps for the children" seems to be his M.O.
MNG|2.13.09 @ 3:39PM|#
""He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot," Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine."
Dude, if I were in any way connected with the Phelps bong hit, living in that county, I would abstain for a little while...I certainly wouldn't have any weed on me or in my house or effects for a while.
Don't get me wrong, these folks do NOT deserve arrest either way, these laws are immoral.
The sheriff is something else. It's almost seems like he sees the fact that someone in his jurisdiction broke the law and that everyone knows it as some kind of slap in his face that he must wreck personal vengance.
Porkopolis Maximus|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
Sheriff Leon Lott, what a guy; all the morals of a child molester combined with the brain of a goldfish. Can someone tell me again why its illegal to set people like Lott on fire?
Cabeza De Vaca|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
* 2004 "Strom Thurmond Award of Excellence in Law Enforcement"
LOL.
|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
Warren, I think this backfires on the prohibitionists. Even some hardcore evangelical nanny-staters I know are saying this is too much, and that maybe if Michael Phelps can smoke pot at a party and win gold medals it could be OK. I hope Phelps takes one for the team (the charges I mean, no conviction of course) and this blows open the marijuana is evil myth and we can finally get it legalized.
My question regarding Phelps is, if he had been proven to be smoking pot in Amsterdam, would Kellogg's have dropped him? Would anyone care? I mean, so many people posting on other sites that are not as angry as we are, think what he did is bad because it's illegal, not because it's a drug. People seem more concerned that he broke the law than how. So, if he smoked pot where it is legal, does this all mean anything? We might be blessed that he smoked pot in the county of a big time prohibitionist sheriff douchebag.
United Steelworkers of America|2.13.09 @ 3:46PM|#
2002 Palmetto Pride
Keep chasing that rainbow, Sheriff Lott!
|2.13.09 @ 3:47PM|#
RCSD's 1st amendment record:
Orwell must be pissed he didn't get to witness this. But rest assured, I'm sure "frivolous" is a well-defined legal precedent...
|2.13.09 @ 3:48PM|#
* Special Olympics - Board of Directors
That's it! We need to get some Special Olympics Champion to smoke pot in a dorm room.
|2.13.09 @ 3:49PM|#
For those keeping score at home, people should be aware that Dick Harpootlian is the former head of the SC Democratic Party.
The Extispicator|2.13.09 @ 3:52PM|#
No dogs shot? Man, they are lazy in South Carolina.
creech|2.13.09 @ 3:55PM|#
Anyone have any extra seeds they can plant in an obscure part of Lott's backyard? Give some grow time and then call the drug police. There's got to be ways to frame jackasses like this.
Ronald B.|2.13.09 @ 3:56PM|#
Dick Harpootlian sounds like he should be living in San Diego.
|2.13.09 @ 3:57PM|#
Dick Harpootlian
*snerk*
I mean, that is one seriously funny name. I can just see the cops around the station trying to keep a straight face, Life of Brian style.
|2.13.09 @ 3:57PM|#
"He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot," Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine.
So Lott is willing to risk the lives of these kids just to build a case on the lowest possible drug charge, all because of Phelps celebrity status? The judge who signed off on these warrants should be removed from office. What are the odds of any of these guys being dangerous enough even pretend to justify these tactics?
I'd like to fantasize that this would backfire and make the public realize how foolish the drug war is, but I've seen too self-righteous sports parents who think that this is the "right message" to fool myself.
According to Harpootlian and McCulloch, police seized four laptop computers, a desktop computer, a computer storage drive and a cell phone, mostly to search for incriminating photos of Phelps.
What fucking good would those pictures be? They have the one infamous shot already, and even that would be worthless absent Phelp's admission.
I hope the kids didn't have any schoolwork or need to do any on those computers, because they're never seeing those again.
mark|2.13.09 @ 3:59PM|#
OK I only have enough time to write one well-thought-out letter, so whom shall I write it to?
|2.13.09 @ 4:00PM|#
"He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot,"
See! See what the fraud and scourge known as the "metric system" hath wrought on our fair land?
|2.13.09 @ 4:01PM|#
What Phelps needs is for a Nobel Prize winner--preferably in something real like physics--to get caught on tape in a similar manner.
|2.13.09 @ 4:03PM|#
I mean, I'm a libertarian and everything, but I've never touched the stuff myself and still think this is totally insane. I've got friends with advanced degrees who were major stoners in college and even in high school. Not to mention the general population here at Hit & Run.
Stop the madness! Arrest the people in our government--now that would do some good.
|2.13.09 @ 4:04PM|#
mark, it better not be to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, because if they deem it reply to this