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."