COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police in Columbus, Dayton and Mansfield have found a painkiller-laced heroin that has killed addicts in Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. Fentanyl turned up in six of 10 batches of heroin confiscated by Mansfield police, said police laboratory director Anthony Tambasco. The lab started testing for the drug just before Memorial Day, after officials heard of numerous recent deaths in the Detroit area, he said. About a half-dozen deaths related to fentanyl-laced heroin in Montgomery County have been found since the beginning of the year, said Ken Betz, director of the county coroner's office in Dayton. [continues 325 words]
COLUMBUS | Police here, in Dayton and in Mansfield have found a painkiller-laced heroin that has killed addicts in Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. ToolsPrint this pageE-mail this pageMost popularTop 5 stories Homeowners file suit to force Dayton to build sewer bypass Chemical spill closes Ohio 49 stretch for three hours Friday Elections officials back new Ohio rules Summary of local lawmakers' financial disclosures Lawmakers reveal their income, assets RSS headlines available Fentanyl turned up in six of 10 batches of heroin confiscated by Mansfield police, said police laboratory director Anthony Tambasco. The lab started testing for the drug just before Memorial Day after hearing of numerous recent deaths in Detroit, he said. [continues 447 words]
COLUMBUS - Police here and in Mansfield have found a painkiller-laced heroin that has killed addicts in Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. The drug fentanyl turned up in six of 10 batches of heroin confiscated by Mansfield police, said police laboratory director Anthony Tambasco. The lab started testing for the drug just before Memorial Day after hearing of numerous recent deaths in Detroit, he said. Columbus police have discovered at least three cases of heroin mixed with fentanyl in the past month, crime lab manager Jami St. Clair said. [continues 109 words]
Mansfield, Columbus Labs Identify Fatal Combo MANSFIELD, Ohio -- The deadly mix of drugs that has killed addicts in Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia has reached Ohio. Mansfield police have identified the powerful prescription painkiller fentanyl in six of the last 10 batches of heroin confiscated by police. Mansfield police laboratory director Anthony Tambasco said he decided to start looking for fentanyl after hearing about the deaths in Detroit just before Memorial Day. Authorities there have confirmed 100 fentanyl/heroin deaths. Another 60 were confirmed in the Chicago area. [continues 417 words]
Pro-Marijuana Event Still Smokin' On Its 20th Anniversary For more than 35 years, David "Shake" Shakin has kept the faith. While many "flower children" of the 1960s and early 1970s have dropped out of the peace movement and joined the establishment, Shakin remains a true believer. His hair is white, but he still wears a beard. He calls an artists commune outside Athens, Ga., home. And he supports himself by traveling the country selling hand-made Indonesian jewelry at music and community festivals. [continues 354 words]
She had errands to run, a house to clean, a teenage son to look after and a baby girl to raise. Life, more often than not, overwhelmed her. But Tammy Howard thought she had smoked her way to a solution. Sitting in a sterile conference room, picking at imaginary lint on her prison-issued uniform, she talked about the methamphetamine she called "every woman's dream." "It really, really did it for me," Howard said. "There's nothing else like it. I could mow the grass, mow my neighbor's grass, probably their neighbor's grass and the grass up and down the street. [continues 619 words]
Drug Labs Fraught With Hazards, Even For Law Officers Who Bust Them Ohio law enforcement has a new face, and it's wearing a chemical-resistant mask. Methamphetamine and its toxic ingredients have turned officers accustomed to raiding drug homes and making arrests into garbage collectors. "Used to be, we bust a guy with some dope, whether it was pot or crack or whatever, and we bag it and tag it as evidence and go about our business," said Scioto County sheriff's office detective John Koch. He is one of two Scioto County deputies who help with meth raids by other agencies in the southwestern quadrant of Ohio, the area the state says has the biggest problem. [continues 1844 words]
The transdermal patch delivers a concentrated high that can be lethal; 17 have fallen victim this year. DAYTON | The 37-year-old man lay dead on the bathroom floor of his room at hospice, a syringe and torn transdermal patch near his body. The scene from two months ago is one of the 17 fentanyl-related deaths the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab has handled this year. "We have found that people have taken the contents of the patches, which is a very concentrated chunk of drug. It's not supposed to be taken all at once," said Laureen Marinetti, chief toxicologist for the crime lab. [continues 338 words]
Hundreds Released Because Of Overcrowding Hundreds of defendants have escaped time behind bars because there is no room at the Hamilton County jail - even though county taxpayers have spent more than $500,000 in the last six weeks to house overflow inmates in Butler County. "Sending 200 (inmates) to Butler County doesn't solve our problem of being overcrowded," sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett said. Trying to address jail overcrowding, commissioners began renting excess jail space in Butler County, paying $65 per day per bed for up to 200 beds. . Since the export of inmates started April 14, an average of 171 Hamilton County inmates per day have been sent to Butler County, costing taxpayers $500,175 during that 45-day period. [continues 147 words]
Hempfest, happening on June 3rd, is a day-long festival dedicated to promoting the end of the Drug War, as well as teaching the average person about the many uses of hemp and its, shall we say, derivatives. Many vendors are available to sell food, trinkets, and tobacco pipes, as well as literature and music. Also featured on several stages are more than two dozen bands, performers, and spoken word artists. The styles of music will reach from reggae to trance to hippie-jam and more, and there will be plenty of great munchies around to last everyone well into the night. [continues 699 words]
Akron -- The Summit County Drug Unit will be more closely supervised and work under tightened procedures, Sheriff Drew Alexander said Wednesday, after an investigation of a 2004 undercover operation at the University of Akron. The office reviewed the case of Charles Plinton, 25, a graduate student who was arrested and charged with selling marijuana. A jury acquitted him in August 2004. Plinton was suspended from school for a semester but never returned. He committed suicide last December. Alexander said the unit did not follow departmental policies. He said Plinton's case showed that every investigation is important, whether it involves a minor marijuana sale or a major operation. [continues 364 words]
Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander told a group of pastors Wednesday that he would have found Charles Plinton not guilty, too, had he been a juror at the 2004 drug trafficking trial that acquitted the former University of Akron graduate student. "We were sloppy in our preparation, and the jury did the right thing and found him not guilty," Alexander said. Plinton later took his own life. After reviewing the controversial case, Alexander determined that improperly supervised police work contributed to a weak case that should either have been shored up before trial or dismissed. [continues 704 words]
QUANTICO, Va. - Staring down a dimly lit hall with rooms full of plastic figures meant to resemble drug traffickers - some hiding under bed covers, others wielding fake guns - isn't how most congressmen study the nation's burgeoning methamphetamine problem. But Rep. Bob Ney, whose rural, central Ohio district is the scene of skyrocketing meth use and production, recently opted for an unusual tactic in researching how Drug Enforcement Administration programs combat the problem. Those programs are in danger of losing money. [continues 662 words]
Bowling Green educators and parents who are considering testing their student athletes for drug use need to find a better strategy. According to comprehensive research by the ACLU and the Drug Policy Alliance (updated in January, 2006), no legitimate study has ever shown random testing to be effective in reducing drug use in schools. Scientists from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, University of Michigan, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have all found, through repeated large-scale studies, that drug testing changed neither attitudes nor behaviors among young people. [continues 125 words]
One-third fewer teens reported using alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs in 2006 than in 2000, according to data released today by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati. The 2006 Student Drug Use Survey included 52,203 students in grades 7-12 in 10 counties in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky metropolitan region. "We can see from the data that prevention efforts are working here in Greater Cincinnati," said Holly James, president and executive director of the coalition. [continues 200 words]
Thank you, but I don't need a lecture on personal responsibility. Many of you apparently felt otherwise after reading my recent column on the use of the justice system as a cudgel against black children. The column dealt with the mistreatment of over 100 juveniles, most of them African American, who were left in a flooded New Orleans detention center for up to five days without food and water after Hurricane Katrina. It was also about the death of Martin Lee Anderson, an unresisting 14-year-old black kid who was hit, choked and restrained by up to nine guards in a Panama City "boot camp." [continues 570 words]
When the Alexander Local School Board adopted a new student drug-testing policy last summer, it ran into a firestorm of opposition from some district families. Those speaking against the new rules included some Alexander students, who argued that board members were out of touch and were overstating the level of student drug use in the district. Now, with the policy rescinded, two school board members who supported it voted off the board in November, and a third having resigned, Alexander Supt. Bob Bray wants to make sure future board decisions aren't made without hearing from students. [continues 540 words]
Here's a sample of some school district codes of conduct that apply to athletes and students participating in extra-curricular/co-curricular activities as they relate to use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Forest Hills What the code says: Use, sale, consumption or possession of tobacco, alcohol or illegal controlled substances, which includes inhalants, look-alikes, and /or other illegal substances, is strictly prohibited throughout the calendar year. Students hosting a party where alcohol or other illegal controlled substances are being unlawfully consumed, shall also be considered in violation. [continues 814 words]
Ohioans who drive under the influence of illegal drugs, or even with traces of drugs in their blood, face jail time and stiff fines under a bill Gov. Bob Taft signed into law yesterday. Taft and other supporters of Ohio's "drugged driving" law said it will protect people from drivers impaired by cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines and other substances. Ohio becomes the 12 th state to set specific limits on how much narcotic is allowed in a person's blood before it is illegal to drive or operate a watercraft. [continues 336 words]
Four years after raising $1 million to defeat a constitutional amendment proposing treatment instead of jail for some drug offenders, Gov. Bob Taft unveiled a pilot project yesterday that would do much the same thing in Franklin and five other counties. The idea Taft once called "seductive, deceptive and dangerous" was hailed by him yesterday as a program to "help individuals to assume a productive role in society rather than a long-term member of Ohio's prison system." [continues 433 words]
Special Courts Making A Difference For Drug Abusers, Mentally Ill The men and women stood solemnly in a circle, their arms locked and heads bowed. A man nervously opened and closed his fists, to fight back the anger bubbling inside him. One woman started to sob softly. Tears flowed down her cheeks, dripping mascara onto a photo of a friend who had died a week earlier after being run over by three cars. "Whenever death comes, we're never where we want to be in our lives," said Joe Turcer, a grief counselor for the Columbus Health Department. "It makes me think of the Serenity Prayer." Without prompting, they all began to recite the prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. [continues 753 words]
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A Tennessee lawmaker wants to ban the hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum, known by the nickname "Sally B." The herb, which is becoming popular among teenagers and college students, causes effects when it is smoked or chewed. "When something like that is legal, it says to the kids that it's OK to take," said state Sen. Tim Burchett, who sponsored a bill that would ban the drug in Tennessee. "It would be nice to close the barn door before the cows got out." [continues 451 words]
Community Members Sing, Pray, Speak Out The fight isn't nearly over, and they say the towel won't be thrown in. Instead, about 400 community members vowed to jump in the ring Sunday at a rally to honor former University of Akron student Charles Plinton, whose arrest and acquittal on questionable drug charges fueled his suspension from the school and ended with his suicide last year. From the pews of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, people of all ages praised God and sang spirited hymns, standing when so moved, and demanded further investigation into Plinton's case. [continues 642 words]
DARE Officer Julie Preston jokes around with Miss Greer's fifth grade class while handing out an assignment on April 12 at Tiffin elementary School. The halls of Tiffin Elementary, filled with the chatter of school children and proud displays of their work are not foreign territory for officer Julie Preston. While most people several decades removed from elementary school dread returning to such a building, Preston, dressed in her dark blue police uniform, walks the halls with a quiet confidence as she darts between fifth-grade classes. [continues 740 words]
IT IS difficult to even conceive of a 9-year-old smuggling suspected crack cocaine into school, let alone confront it as reality. No elementary school student could possibly clamor for crack, let alone bring a second bag of the suspected drug for a friend. Right? Certainly no third grader should. But apparently one did recently at Nathan Hale Elementary School, according to school, police, and children services officials. A teacher there overheard other students talking about someone who had crack cocaine. The 9-year-old was quickly identified and taken to the office, where a bag of suspected crack cocaine was recovered from his sock. [continues 311 words]
Meth Lab Suspected In Rockbridge Explosion ROCKBRIDGE- One man was burned severely Wednesday night after an explosion and fire ripped through a garage in Rockbridge that authorities said was being used to house an illegal methamphetamine laboratory. Hocking County Sheriff Lanny North said that when Good Hope Fire Department personnel arrived at the home on Main Street, they found a working fire and a male victim with burns covering 75 percent of his body. "All the appearances are that this was a meth lab," he said Wednesday night. "We are waiting for the site to cool down so we go inside and actually search." Eric Brown, commander of the Fairfield-Hocking Major Crimes Unit, said his team was called to the scene to investigate because of its focus on illegal drugs and special training. [continues 236 words]
Local Programs Reach Out To Help The Ross County Sheriff's Office responded Thursday to a call of drug paraphernalia found in a 15-year-old boy's pants pocket. Inside the boy's pocket were two straws covered in white powder- allegedly a crushed Vicodin tablet. He reportedly used the straws to snort the prescription medication. This is a common instance around the country and in Ross County. A study released by the Partnership for a Drug Free America found 18 percent of teens have used Vicodin without a prescription. "The usage of painkillers is a big problem," said pediatrician Amy Luckeydoo, of Smith and Fleischer. "They're thought of as party drugs." [continues 117 words]
To the Editor: Thank you for raising awareness of the Higher Education Act's denial of student loans to youths convicted of drug offenses. Instead of empowering at-risk students with a college degree, the HEA limits career opportunities and increases the likelihood that those affected will resort to crime. Speaking of crime, convicted rapists and murders are still eligible for federal student loans. Most students outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving drugs. An arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering. [continues 121 words]
When it comes to discussion of crime in Greater Cincinnati, gun violence takes center stage. But the issue that underlies it, overlaps and surrounds it is illegal drug use. And on that topic, for any number of reasons, we have all been far too silent. It is a dangerous silence, as we saw this week when, police say, two suburban residents were shot to death trying to buy drugs in Over-the-Rhine. The coroner's report showed cocaine and other drugs in their systems. [continues 432 words]
Steady Pressure Will Yield Results, Session Teaches BOND HILL - Cincinnati Police Sgt. Carolyn Wilson said the best way for residents to boot drug dealers from their neighborhoods is to continue fighting against them. "Keep doing what you're doing and take back your neighborhood," she said. On Saturday, Wilson led a session on "Citizen Responses to Open Air Drug Dealing" at the first Community Problem Oriented Policing Summit at the Community Action Agency in Jordan's Crossing. More than 300 residents, law enforcement officials and social service workers registered for the daylong conference aimed at improving community safety and blight. [continues 211 words]
Past Convictions Haunt Some In America, we laud ourselves on the attainability of higher education by every one of our citizens. As a society we encourage the continuation of education, provide low-interest loans to subsidize the high cost, and push social programs designed to enlighten high-risk youths of the advantages of a college degree. You can, however, lose your eligibility for financial aid. A provision of the Higher Education Act denies financial aid to students with drug convictions. The act has been criticized by several health, legal and education organizations, including the American Public Health Association, the Association for Addiction Professionals, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Bar Association. [continues 328 words]
Drug Convictions Cost Students Their Financial Aid Double jeopardy is more than just part of a television game show. According to the group Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, once a provision to the Higher Education Act was added in 2000, 200,000 students have had to face double jeopardy. If a student is guilty of a drug conviction, he is ineligible for federal aid. Phil DeSenze, a junior in political science and treasurer of the local Ohio State branch of the SSDP said this has not always been the case. DeSenze said that, until recently, a drug conviction before entering college could prevent a student from receiving aid, thus turning many students away from college. [continues 484 words]
The controversial lawsuit brought against Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in March has initiated critical dialogue on the merits and drawbacks of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1998. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and three students convicted of drug offenses filed the lawsuit that took issue with the student eligibility clause of the HEA. Currently, under the HEA "a student who has been convicted of any offense under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance" from the time of the conviction until a year later for a first offense and two years for a second offense. Since the enforcement of the HEA revisions of 1998, nearly 200,000 potential college students have been found ineligible for federal financial aid. [continues 314 words]
A rainbow of colors: red, blue, green, purple and white. If police officers only test white substances, they may miss finding other illegal drugs. Twenty people from various law enforcement offices attending a recent seminar at Sycamore Fire Station to learn how to identify and test various drugs. North Carolina resident Jack Thorndike, Nark sales and training representative from SIRCHIE Group, shared information about colors being added to various drugs to disguise them. Thorndike said if an officer stops someone for probable cause, but only finds a white or off-white substance, they should have it tested to make sure it is not crack cocaine. [continues 636 words]
The consequence of getting caught with a joint - or any amount of marijuana less than 100 grams - just became more serious in Cincinnati. City Council voted, 6-2, to increase the penalty for possessing a small amount of marijuana. Under the old law, it was a minor misdemeanor that brought a ticket and a $100 fine. As of today, it's a fourth-degree misdemeanor that now means immediate arrest - along with a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. A second offense is now a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. [continues 206 words]
In a move that supporters claimed would give police more crime-fighting powers, City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday to make possession of small amounts of marijuana punishable by fines and jail time. For first-time offenders, the measure makes the possession of less than 200 grams a fourth-degree misdemeanor, with maximum penalties of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. Subsequent offenses would be a first-degree misdemeanor, with maximum penalties of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. [continues 466 words]
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- The Union County prosecutor hopes phones are ringing all over town this weekend, and he hopes convicted drug dealer Marsha Shoemaker is the topic of every one of those conversations. "I very much want Marsha Shoemaker to stand as an example," David Phillips said. "I hope her conviction sends a very strong message that we will hold drug traffickers responsible when someone dies." Shoemaker, 45, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in the death last summer of 21-year-old Justin Phelps, a friend of her son's. [continues 480 words]
According to the articles about the Plinton suicide, there are people who are paid $50 by the authorities to find out what students have marijuana. Given that marijuana is not dangerous (though illegal for political reasons), we should ask: Is this a prudent way to spend money? Equally outrageous was the fact that a student can be suspended for marijuana possession. I need not mention the fact that the student was found not guilty by a real court. My suggestion is for the university's judiciary council: Have a few hits of the bong and mellow out. Dave Kovacs Senior Philosophy [end]
UA President Says Independent Commission Will Evaluate Disciplinary Procedures University of Akron president Luis Proenza presented his plan to review law enforcement and student disciplinary policies at Wednesday's board of trustees meeting. Proenza said an independent commission of community and campus leaders will be established to evaluate the procedures. The media and community questioned campus policies after the mother of former graduate student Charles Plinton blamed the university for her son's Dec. 12 suicide. "We hold ourselves to the highest standards of fairness, transparency and service to students," Proenza said. "We must take this opportunity to examine all practices that have been called into question by our students, faculty, staff and community members." [continues 140 words]
The cliche goes: Don't pick fights with anyone who buys ink by the barrel. The University of Akron administration must not believe that. Last week, the university accused the Akron Beacon Journal of misstating the facts in a series about UA graduate student Charles Plinton, who committed suicide after being suspended from school for drug trafficking. The Akron Beacon Journal responded Monday. "If the series of stories that is being responded to reflects a lack of caring on the university's part, the story was not the driver for the lack of caring," said Beacon Journal editor Debra Simmons Adams. "It's kind of difficult to reflect caring when the communication that has occurred has been by way of e-mail. If someone from the university wanted to express care or talk about steps to be taken, we would have reflected that in our story." [continues 291 words]
Charles Plinton's Story Worries Some, Angers Others Luckily for the University of Akron, the majority of its students don't follow the news. Most are unfamiliar with the Akron Beacon Journal's recent stories about former student Charles Plinton. Only one had full knowledge of the situation. Some, such as sophomore Ben Jones, feel the university's actions were inappropriate and that president Luis Proenza should have known about the investigation. "I'm not to happy about that to tell the truth," Jones said. "I think Luis Proenza should have known, the whole board should have known." [continues 654 words]
But Drug Activity Not As Much As Feared These packages of meth are a portion of 44 pounds seized in Defiance County that had a total street value of $2 million. (picture) A year ago, northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan authorities were bracing for a flood of illegal methamphetamine. The drug had swept east from California, and Indiana ranked fourth in the nation in meth lab seizures. That the tide would inundate the area seemed inevitable. Today, local police and sheriffs' departments and drug enforcement agencies report that while meth manufacturing and use have increased somewhat, their rise has not been as dramatic as had been feared. Ohio and Michigan are ranked at the bottom of the top 20 states for meth lab seizures. [continues 1400 words]
Area law enforcement officials said the investigation of a former Jackson Township police officer who pled guilty to fondling a teen over several years is complete, for now. Thomas Wyatt II, who resigned his post at the police department, faces the possibility of up to 60 days in jail when Judge Richard Reinbold sentences him April 24 on one count of sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor. He also could be labeled a sexually oriented offender, which would require him to periodically register his address with authorities for 10 years. [continues 466 words]
The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday challenged the constitutionality of a federal law that blocks students convicted of a drug offense from obtaining federal student loans. "Closing the campus gates denies these students a crucial chance to get themselves back on track by staying in school," said ACLU attorney Adam Wolf, who called the law "an unfair and irrational barrier to education (that) singles out working-class Americans." At least one Dayton-area college financial aid administrator supports the ACLU's challenge and wonders why no one challenged the law sooner. Emphasizing she was speaking for herself and not on behalf of the college, Kathy L. Wiesenauer, director of Sinclair Community College's financial aid office, said, "I believe that the current law unfairly singles out a class of individuals who have already paid their debt to society through fines, imprisonment or service to the community." [continues 112 words]
Ever seen a drug deal go down? Chances are, in this day and age and even in our fair town, you have. You may not have known exactly what you were seeing, but you saw someone selling dope. If your kids are of school age, they've seen dope deals go down, most likely. The big question is: Did you report it? Probably not. You didn't want to get involved. Hey, it's understandable. People are crazy these days, you never know what someone will do. [continues 244 words]
Discussion About Sentencing, Prison System, More DAYTON - When staffers at ThinkTV Channel 16 and 14 joined members of the legal community to put together a public affairs program on tough-on-crime policies, they weren't quite sure what to expect. But they found out in a hurry. "I think viewers will be surprised that in the past 30 years the U.S. prison population has increased 500 percent, Ohio prison budgets have gone from $50 million to $1.7 billion and increased incarceration rates have disproportionately affected blacks, who are imprisoned in Ohio at a rate eight times higher than whites," said Gloria Skurski, executive producer of the hour-long Justice for All? [continues 251 words]
Friends Remember Charles Plinton As Dynamic, Outgoing, Bright What a loss. That is all Charles Plinton's former adviser can say about his death. Nancy Kenner is an academic adviser at Lincoln University, the historically black college where Plinton earned his bachelor's degree. The majority of students and faculty at the University of Akron, though, did not know Plinton. The 25-year-old graduate student was the focus of a series of articles that ran in the Akron Beacon Journal this week. Plinton came to UA in 2003 to pursue his master's degree in public administration. He was offered a full scholarship. [continues 451 words]
When the slogan, "Fear the Roo," was created, it could not have been foreseen that it might be co-opted by embittered and disenfranchised students, faculty, staff and alumni. However, given the recent Akron Beacon Journal series about the impact of the University of Akron's judicial system on one of its former graduate students, people have a whole new reason to "Fear the Roo." The articles, which ran Sunday and Monday, chronicled the events surrounding the arrest, prosecution and suicide of Charles Plinton, a 25-year-old Lincoln University graduate who had come to UA to pursue his master's degree in the department of public administration. [continues 390 words]
Former University of Akron graduate student Charles Plinton was banned from the University of Akron dorms in 2004. An Office of Student Judicial Affairs panel board found him "responsible" for trafficking marijuana on campus to a confidential informant known as "Hulk" on two separate occasions. The university ruling occurred after a jury in the Summit County Common Pleas Court dismissed Plinton's accusations. Plinton was suspended from school for the 2004 fall semester. He moved back home to New Jersey and did not return to UA. [continues 490 words]
Starting today, getting caught with a little pot could mean a little jail time - for at least the next year. Cincinnati City Council's Law and Public Safety Committee adopted a tougher marijuana ordinance Tuesday - over the objections of a dozen citizens who testified at the hearing. The full council will consider the ordinance today - but a majority, five members, has already voted in support of it. The ordinance would increase the penalty for possessing less than 100 grams of marijuana - even a single joint - from a written citation and a $100 fine to arrest and a possible 30 days in jail. [continues 330 words]
Inside Ohio
