CAMPSITE MAY BE CLOSED OVER DRUG BUST

PORT CLINTON - The campground where 19 people were arrested for
alcohol and drug violations during a weekend music festival could be
seized or ordered closed, a state law enforcement agent said yesterday.

Eight juveniles and 11 adults were arrested Saturday during the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Harvest Fest.

Earl Mack, a Toledo agent with the Ohio Department of Public Safety,
said his office will forward a report of the raid at Golden Eye
Campground to the Ottawa County prosecutor's office next week.

The charges he will seek against the owner, Richard Carpenter, include
being the keeper of a place where liquor is given away or furnished in
violation of the law, and allowing possession or consumption of
alcohol on private property by underage minors.

Conviction on the "keeper of a place" law will allow authorities to
seek the campground's closure, Mr. Mack said.

"With that, if we can find him guilty we can go to court for an order
to seize the property," Mr. Mack said.

Mr. Carpenter could not be reached for comment.

State agents and Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said they raided the
campground after watching alleged underage drinking from a vantage
point on State Rt. 53.

Two undercover agents went in after paying the $25 cover charge and
initially made two arrests, Mr. Mack said.

More agents were summoned from Cleveland and elsewhere to conduct a
raid at about 8:30 p.m. Officers entered from the front gate and rear
of the campground, he said.

Sheriff Craig Emahiser estimated attendance was between 2,000 and
2,500.

Thick marijuana smoke posed a problem of exposing agents to a
potential "contact high," Mr. Mack said. "Next time we'll have to wear
some kind of oxygen masks.

Sheriff Emahiser said his office will confer with the prosecutor to
determine whether a court order can be obtained to prohibit future
festivals.

In addition to liquor and drug violations, deputies are concerned
about an alleged nuisance to the neighborhood.

"We've had an ongoing problem with people complaining about the
noise," Sheriff Emahiser said.

Previous festivals sponsored by the Sandusky County chapter of NORML
have not caused the type of problems experienced last weekend, Sheriff
Emahiser said.

Hans Ashbaucher, president of NORML's Sandusky County chapter, could
not be reached for comment. The organization is a lobbying group
dedicated to seeking the reform of laws that bar marijuana use for
medical and recreational purposes.

The adults arrested will appear in Ottawa Municipal Court in Port
Clinton on misdemeanor charges Sept. 29. The juveniles will appear in
court at a later date. Sheriff Emahiser said some suspects could be
charged with felonies if tests determine other drugs were found. The
first-degree misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000
fine and six months in jail.

One agent, Betty Ford from Cleveland, was injured when she twisted her
knee in a wooded area. Mr. Mack said she was treated at Magruder
Hospital in Port Clinton.