Pubdate: Fri, 06 Feb 2004
Source: Burlington Times-News (NC)
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Copyright: 2004 The Times-News Publishing Company
Author: Bob Sutton
Note: This article is posted as an exception to MAP policies not to archive 
minor pre-trial arrest stories, and not to alter archived articles from 
what is published.  In light of the novelty of these charges, in a 
justified exception to our usual policies, this article is archived with 
the names of the accused redacted.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

[NAME DELETED] ELIGIBILITY STATUS WILL BE A 'LOCAL ISSUE'

The high school eligibility status of basketball star [NAME DELETED] of 
Eastern Alamance High School will be a local issue, the head of the North 
Carolina High School Athletic Association said. [NAME DELETED], the state's 
all-time leading scorer, was one of 50 students in the Alamance-Burlington 
School System charged Wednesday after a months-long undercover drug 
investigation. Students charged Wednesday have been issued long-term 
suspensions (more than 10 days) by the school system. Charlie Adams, 
executive director of the NCHSAA, has been flooded with requests for a 
response from his organization.

"This is a tough blow for all of the programs involved, including coach 
John Moon and Eastern Alamance," Adams said in a statement released 
Thursday. "The only involvement from the Association might be if there are 
any convictions, because our felony policy speaks only to ineligibility 
upon conviction of a felony." "Right now it is a local matter, including 
any appropriate school or school system policies, and in the hands of law 
enforcement and the courts."

The NCHSAA handbook's felony policy designates a conviction as "a plea of 
guilty, a plea of no contest or the equivalent, or a verdict or finding of 
guilty by a jury, judge, magistrate or other duly constituted, established 
and recognized adjudicating body ."

[NAME DELETED], a University of North Carolina signee, was arrested on two 
counts each of possession with the intent to sell and deliver marijuana, 
selling and delivering marijuana and possession of a controlled substance 
on school grounds. The alleged offenses occurred Oct. 13 and Nov. 3.

Moon and Eastern Alamance principal Jo Anne Hayes haven't returned 
telephone messages from the Times-News. Eastern Alamance's next game is 
tonight at home against Northwood. It's the team's final scheduled home 
game of the regular season.

"Certainly the arrests of students, including some student athletes, in the 
Alamance-Burlington School System on various drug-related charges represent 
a dark day for high school sports in North Carolina," Adams said in his 
statement. "It is difficult to imagine going from the top of the mountain 
and a player who is North Carolina's all-time leading scorer to being 
arrested. But unfortunately, in many ways it's a sign of the times and the 
drug-infested culture in which we live."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman