DRUGS ON FEDERAL LAND GET CAMPER TIME BEHIND BARS

A Buncombe County man will spend the next six months in prison after
officers found him in possession of drugs on federal land in McDowell.

Blake Freeman Price, 21, of Asheville pleaded guilty last week in
U.S. Magistrate Court to possession of less than one gram of cocaine.

He was sentenced to six months in federal prison to be followed by
one year of supervised release and a $1,000 fine.

Price was in a campground in the Curtis Creek area of McDowell in
September 2005, when he was cited by a U.S. Forest Service officer
for possession of cocaine.

"The fact that an individual found in possession of a relatively
small amount of cocaine on federal lands was sentenced to a term of
imprisonment reflects the government's aggressive attitude toward the
threat which this type of illicit drug possession poses," said
Gretchen C.F. Shappert, U.S. attorney for the Western District of
North Carolina. "Citizens expect and deserve to be free to enjoy
federal public lands with their families without having to consider
which park or campground may not be a safe, healthy and wholesome place."

The defendant's prior criminal convictions include possession of
marijuana and driving while impaired, the press release stated. He
faced a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine and up
to five years' supervised release.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office intends to bring all cases involving
illegal drug possession on federal lands before the court, and we
appreciate the efforts of the law enforcement on federal lands who
brought this case to our attention," said Shappert. "A term of
incarceration is entirely appropriate under the circumstances."