Pubdate: Tue, 24 Oct 2000
Source: Valdosta Daily Times (GA)
Copyright: 2000 Valdosta Daily Times
Contact:  P.O. Box 968, Valdosta, GA 31603
Fax: (229) 244-2560
Website: http://www.sgaonline.com/communities/valdosta.html
Author: Victoria English

WIDESPREAD PANIC BLAMED FOR WIDESPREAD DRUGS

VALDOSTA -- Friday's Widespread Panic concert at Valdosta State University 
was sold out long before the actual performance -- 4,200 tickets -- and 
local law enforcement agencies knew they would have their work cut out for 
them.

They just didn't realize how out-of-hand it would get, according to Capt. 
J. D. Yeager, Lowndes County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit.

Deputies, serving in a plain-clothes capacity, assisted Valdosta State 
University and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College police officers at the 
concert. The total number of officers, from all three agencies, was 40, 
Yeager said. The crowd was estimated at about 4,700.

LCSO arrested 23 people at the concert -- 20 of whom were arrested prior to 
the opening of the concert, according to Yeager. The arrests were a 
collaborative effort between deputies, narcotics agents, and jail personnel.

The first 20 arrests were made by the narcotics officers after they made 
purchases of drugs and witnessed individuals engaging in drug use out in 
the open, said Yeager. Two more people were arrested during the concert's 
intermission, when undercover officers purchased marijuana from them just 
outside the gymnasium.

One other individual -- a 16-year-old -- was seen bleeding from both knees 
and was approached by an officer concerned about his injuries, Yeager said.

When the officer identified himself, the juvenile reportedly charged at the 
officer and began fighting and biting him.

After an extended physical confrontation, and assistance from other 
officers in the area, the juvenile was taken into custody and charged with 
felony obstruction of officers, misdemeanor simple battery, public drunk 
and other charges pending blood test results. According to Yeager, the 
juvenile admitted to being under the influence of GHB (gamma 
hydroxybuterate) and alcohol, at which time he was taken to South Georgia 
Medical Center.

According to Yeager, sheriff's office personnel did not anticipate the 
extremely large amount of drug activity that was encountered. The number of 
arrests was in no way proportionate to the amount of activity, he said, but 
totally based on the number of available officers.

Yeager said officers who were walking offenders to the processing area had 
to pass by numerous individuals who were engaging in open drug activity.

As the captain of the narcotics unit, Yeager said he was pleased with the 
efforts of his officers. However, he added, he was totally amazed at the 
number of people who were using, buying and selling drugs at this event.

"The activity was out in the open where anyone could watch," Yeager said. 
"In all of my years in law enforcement, I have never been around such a 
large group of people who had such total disregard for the law."

Yeager said marijuana, Ecstasy, GHB, and "any other illegal drug you could 
think of were being used like beer drinking at a baseball game."

"It saddens me to think that our community, especially our college, is 
supporting this type behavior," Yeager said.

Yeager added he wished he'd had 100 officers, because "we could have easily 
arrested two hundred people."

"The worst part of the night, for our officers, was having to stand by and 
watch people using drugs, knowing that we couldn't do anything about it," 
Yeager said. "But, we knew that we could easily have caused a riot. We had 
to look out for our safety, as well as the safety of all those who were 
attending the concert."

Yeager said his only hope was that, with the arrested, "we proved that this 
type activity would not be tolerated in Lowndes County."
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