Note: Our newshawk informs us that this case appears to set a precedent in
Illinois.

LAST SUSPECT PLEADS GUILTY IN `DATE-RAPE' DRUG CASE

DEKALB -- The last of three defendants in the state's first date-rape drug
case has pleaded guilty, the attorney general's office said Monday.

Richard Seldal, 31, of DeKalb, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing
gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, known as GHB, with the intent to deliver it.

The conviction carries a penalty of 6 to 30 years in prison, officials
said. Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 3.

Two other defendants previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to the
Department of Corrections' boot camp, an attorney general's spokeswoman
said. All three were indicted in 1997.

Under Illinois law, GHB is treated in criminal cases like cocaine. GHB is
an odorless, tasteless, clear liquid that may lower a user's inhibitions.

Side-effects may include seizures and coma.