Widespread Panic said in a statement that the band endorsed a police crackdown at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater during its weekend concerts after 200 people were arrested and two fans died. "Widespread Panic makes every possible effort to ensure a safe environment for everyone attending a show," the band's statement said this week. "We fully support the actions taken by local police to eliminate drug dealing and underage drinking at all Widespread Panic concerts." The Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board along with local authorities launched a massive operation to stamp out drug and underage alcohol use during Widespread's three shows last weekend. Police confiscated large amounts of marijuana, cocaine, OxyContin, Ecstasy and LSD. [continues 199 words]
Fan Dies At 3-Day Widespread Panic Event At Oak Mountain James Clemmons sat Indian-style, hands cuffed and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The 24-year-old St. Clair County Correctional Facility guard was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and arrested at the Widespread Panic concerts this weekend at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. "Can I call my warden?" Clemmons asked from the asphalt. Operation Don't Panic, staged by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and Pelham Police Department, involved thousands of dollars, hundreds of worker hours and dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers. It was one of the biggest ABC operations in recent memory. [continues 996 words]
JASPER - Ask Juanita Dockins who is doing methamphetamine here and you get a blunt response: "Who's not?" Ms. Dockins, 44, should know. She says she sold the drug to truckers about eight years ago to pay the bills. She got to know a lot of people who took meth. Now, three of her four children have fallen prey to the drug. Ms. Dockins said that in Jasper, a city of about 14,000, meth was too easy to find. "It all goes in a circle," she said. "Everybody knows everybody." [continues 454 words]
Police Officer Eric T. Leddick stopped the swerving Nissan Sentra on Halloween night 2000 in Bayou La Batre. He thought the driver was drunk. A five-gallon plastic can and a ventilator mask lay on the front floorboard. Leddick grabbed the red container, thinking it was gasoline the men had been inhaling. "You know when a steam kettle blows?" said Leddick, 30, an ex-Marine. "That's what it did. It burned and blinded me and I stumbled back. I started to push on my chest because I couldn't breathe. I thought that was it." [continues 1994 words]
Methamphetamine labs are environmental nightmares. Some of the substances used to make meth sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, acetone, gasoline and lye are corrosive and flammable. They seep into the ground, water and air, leaving behind toxic disasters that cost thousands to clean up. Repeated exposure to the fumes can cause health problems, ranging from skin irritation to lung damage to cancer. Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit Rob Savage said the labs "create an environment that is pretty inhospitable to human beings." [continues 535 words]
