If a picture is worth a thousand words it must also be worth eight arrests, especially if that picture is one of Olympian Michael Phelps hitting a bong.
The house where a photo was taken of Phelps taking a hit from a bong has become the center of an investigation by the Richland County (SC) Sheriff’s department.
According to television station WIS, eight arrests have been made in connection with the party where Phelps and others attended. The gathering was held off-campus at the University of South Carolina in November.
Richland County Sheriff spokesman Lieutenant Chris Cowan would neither confirm or deny the arrests, stating that an investigation is still ongoing.
South Carolina Sheriff Leon Lott has said that he will press charges against Phelps if he can prove the swimmer smoked marijuana in his jurisdiction. Marijuana possession is considered a misdemeanor in Richland County and is punishable by up to 30 days in jail.
Andy Albert, a member of the band Holiday Parade, which had been invited to the house after the group played at a nightclub earlier in the evening, wrote on the band’s web site, “Phelps was smoking something (?) and drinking a beer.”
Albert also not Phelps was involved in a high-stakes game of beer pong, with an estimated $4,000 on the table.
Fellow band member Michael Whitworth confirmed the details of the party to The State newspaper.
“I saw Phelps pull out a roll, a bank-wrapped $2,000,” Whitworth told the newspaper. “He said, ‘I’ll match the $2,000.’ Good ol’ Phelpsie lost it, too.”
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