Looks like the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff wants to become the next Joe Arpaio or Wyatt Earp by getting tough on the notorious criminal that is Michael Phelps. He believes they have a slam dunk case given the picture of him smoking a bong & his almost confession.

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Personally, I believe they would have one hell of a time proving anything, as he hasn't come right out and said what he was doing totally. Furthermore, I think this is just a further example of what is wrong with our criminal justice system. Instead of going after serious criminals and serious crimes, too often these law enforcement hacks try to criminalize every picture of teens drinking on Myspace, and, in this case, trying to have Michael Phelps charged with a crime because he sees a picture of him smoking a bong. The whole de-criminalization of marijuana issue not withstanding, personally I'm tired of idiots like this guy and Joe Arpaio who want to take their status as a Sheriff, and turn it into celebrity status. I'm really tired of these agents of the criminal justice system who think they are entitled to their 15 minutes of fame. And the idiots in the media who are right there to more than willingly give it to them.

There is no way they can prove a real crime occurred (not to mention the whole victimless crime aspect), as whatever was in the bong is clearly burned up by now. Though most people would agree that if someone is smoking a bong, there is likely marijuana in it, but you can smoke tobacco in it too.

When will we as a nation concentrate our efforts on serious crimes and let the petty crap slide (as, by law, everyone does have discretion)? Not as long as we allow the criminal justice system remain a profitable cottage industry, that's for sure.

Instead they should take away a medal everytime I have heard his name in the last hour alone.

Even maybe 100,000 dollars deducted from his bank account for every "newsworthy" piece of garbage I have to watch when all I want is to hear about murder in my city. Pay attention government. This could solve your money woes.

I might do everyone a favor and drive down there and smack the sheriff in the mouth tomorrow. Ridiculous waste of taxpayer resources.

He'd have done better to arrest the S. Carolina kids who appeared in the Borat movie for hate crimes.

kill two birds with one stone......

Legalize Marijuana

Tax Marijuana

Abolish IRS

Abolish DEA

Phelps is off the hook.....back to doing endorsements

and all of Obama's cabinet nominations would be a "slam dunk"!


but what I really want to know is....how do they KNOW that its pot??? Did they do a piss test on him? Someone could have photoshopped that shit for all we know.

otherwise hes simply guilty of being in possession of drug paraphernalia.

BFD...unless your Tommy Chong.

He admitted it was pot. Listen to ESPN radio- on shit like this they get the scoop.

I'm not that well versed in South Carolina state law, but where I'm from, possession of marijuana is a crime, but smoking it, in and of itself, is not per se. So, regardless of what Phelps has said on the record about what he was doing in that picture, I'm not certain that simply smoking marijuana would be a crime, minus actually being caught in possession of marijuana.

So, given that he is no longer in possession of it (and it likely belonged to someone else in the 1st place, and he was simply smoking it), and there is no way on earth they could ever prove how much he was ever in possession of, I don't see how they could ever charge him with anything, because they wouldn't really know what to charge him with. Of course they could just charge him with simple possession (or whatever the lowest possession charge is in South Carolina). I'm just holding out hope that my lack of faith in mankind will be proven wrong, and either the Sheriff will wise up and shut his mouth, or that atleast the District Attorney will refuse any charges that the Sheriff files against Phelps. However, being the cynic that I am, I'm sure that won't happen.

Personally, I don't really care all that much about Phelps. I respect what he did in the Olympics, but I never found him to be that interesting of a character, and I always thought his marketability was limited at best given his gangly looks and his nerdy personality. But what do I know?

What I do know is that the spin being put on the case by the Sheriff that it amounts to a crime that should be prosecuted is laughable at best, and is a gross abuse of power (in an attempt to gain fame for the Sheriff), and is a waste of tax dollars and the limited resources of the Sheriff's Department and the county court system at worst. I mean, I know he has a DUI (including underaged drinking) incident in his past. But what is the worst that would happen to him if he were convicted in this case? A small fine and probation? Yep, that's certainly worth pursuing! Is it any wonder so many why so many States are literally facing chapter 9 bankruptcy due to huge budget deficits?

This completely pisses me off...I went to college in the lil dipshit town that he picked up a DUI in and that pissed me off too cuz they totally were sanctimonious as fuck cuz he blew a lil over while a goddamn judge drove his BMW up a telephone pole while plastered and got away completely ...nothing in the news (true story...)

This dude was a total hero in the pool this past summer...who the fuck cares if he is hitting the bong...everyone the fuck else is that is hanging out and partying or acting anyway like a normal 20 something....


This might be the beginning of the eventual sensible legalization. This whole drug war is a scam for those that hold stock in the privately owned prison system. ( Like that cocksucking piece of neocon shit cheney that so many of you like to suck the cock of)


I can't tell you how much this pisses me off...

i hate the fucking south...time to cut those retards off...




yeah this is an angry drunk you fucking assholes

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and I always thought his marketability was limited at best given his gangly looks and his nerdy personality. But what do I know?

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you sound gay as shit...dude's a dolphin and i dont even follow nor care about that shit.

"He'd have done better to arrest the S. Carolina kids who appeared in the Borat movie for hate crimes. " - Bornyo


hahaha ...i don't mean yr stretch of the south...that is the south we need again...the common sense south that isn't poisoned by Baptistry or Republiconism

pot make him won 8 gold medals

I love how that shark tooth mouth breather Phelps can gnaw through 6,000 calories of high fructose corn syrup junk food a day yet no one deems him as a bad example there.

That's because he *burned* that many calories. In full training or competition he eats, and burns, upwards of 10,000(!) calories a day.

The worst I've heard of though is Iditarod dogs which are fed something like 70% fat during a race. It turns out that's the only to get enough calories (10,000-12,000 daily) into their little digestive systems, and they can burn fat at that rate.

As for the Sheriff: he's talking big, but what does the DA say? It's the DA whose budget will have to foot the bill of a legal fight with a well-funded defendant. There are a bunch of reasons a DA may not care to take on this case. Basically, there's nothing the Sheriff can do if the DA says no.

Thats the problem with an elected police department head. He needs the publicity to get reelected, rather than doing his fucking job.

War on drugs == welfare for cops.

-Chuck, Vegetarian fanboy

Fuck Michael Phelps. That was the stupidest move he could have done.

Back in high school the U.S. Olympic Water Polo coach was also mine; he was one of the biggest dicks I've ever met and I would have bet money he was a closeted queer or pedophile. He got away with so much shit because the school was too afraid to piss him off because he was in charge of the Olympic team and they leased the pool from the school. I've hated the whole Olympic bullshit since and Phelps is nothing but a goober.



Made that in photoshop too; though I'm sure that jokes been done a million times.

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I love how that shark tooth mouth breather Phelps can gnaw through 6,000 calories of high fructose corn syrup junk food a day yet no one deems him as a bad example there.

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i just came.

REALLY.

The real crime in all of this is the douchebag that sold the picture. Hopefully somebody finds out who sold it and kicks his ass. Fucking snitch!

Jesus. Fucking. Christ:

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9814127

From now on ,when any of you sing the National Anthem, you have to leave out the part that says "..land of the free"....