14 DAY TRIAL // With almost two weeks after pictures of 8-time gold medal winner Michael Phelps were made public, the police in Columbia, South Carolina, have reacted to the entire media controversy, as promised. The reaction to all the heat seems to have been to arrest almost every person at the student party where the incident occurred, connected in some way or another with Phelps, the local media informs.
No less than eight people have been arrested in the Phelps case. The bong that the swimmer used at the party has also been confiscated, while its owner himself has been detained as he was trying to sell the bong on auction site eBay for as much as $100,000.
Strangely enough, the owner was not even at the party that night. Seven of the eight detained have been charged with possession, with an eighth booked for dealing marijuana. Michael Phelps himself has not been prosecuted yet – and will probably never be, if reports in the media are accurate.
Apparently, the decision to make so many arrests in the Phelps case was prompted by pressure from the local and national media. “[People] 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.” Wistv is reporting.
Nevertheless, Lott is reportedly determined not to let this go just because Phelps is “rich and famous,” and is investing as much time and money into the investigation as needed to get to the bottom of this.
On February 2, News of the World published a photo of Michael Phelps smoking pot at a student party. Accompanying said picture was a lengthy account of several partygoers, saying that Phelps was not only a regular at this type of gatherings, but also not a stranger to marijuana use. Since the story broke, Phelps has been suspended from competing for three months, lost the Kellog’s sponsorship, was close to losing one with Subway too, and announced that his participation in the 2012 Olympics was not certain.
Michael Phelps has also apologized for his mistake since the photo was made public. “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and, despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.” Phelps said in a statement released two days after the story broke.