ATTORNEY FACES DRUG CHARGES

SALISBURY - A Cambridge lawyer and former state Senate candidate faces
heroin and cocaine charges following a drug arrest at an East North
Pointe Drive parking lot, Salis-bury police said Thursday.

Grason John-Allen Eckel, 49, of Cambridge is charged with possession
of cocaine, possession of heroin and two counts of possession of
controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia, according to the
Salisbury Police Department.

According to charging documents filed in Wicomico County District
Court, members of the city police's Vice/Narcotics Unit were tipped
off Tuesday that Eckel would be driving to the Rugged Wearhouse store
in north Salisbury and would have some crack cocaine and heroin in his
silver Pontiac sedan.

After the vice unit and members of the Wicomico County Narcotics
taskforce were able to identify Eckel's vehicle in the parking lot
Tuesday, Salisbury police officers rushed the car court documents stated.

The report states that while Eckel was being told to unlock his door,
one officer noticed the top portion of a syringe allegedly sticking
out of the top of the Cambridge man's left sock.

Afterwards, a Delmar Police Department K-9 drug unit was called in to
scan the car police said, and gave indications for the presence of
illegal sub-stances.

In the ensuing search, police found a bag of suspected crack cocaine
hidden in a Marlboro cigarette box, the report states.

Drug paraphernalia was also seized during the arrest, police said,
along wit the suspected heroin found in Eckel's pocket and hidden in
his left sock.

Eckel was released from police custody after he posted a $7,500 bond,
according to court documents.

In 2002, Eckel ran as a Democrat against Republican Richard Colburn
for the District 37 Maryland state Senate seat, losing in the general
election 69 percent to 31 percent. He also ran for a state Senate seat
in 1998, but failed to get out of the Democratic primary Eckel was
unavailable for comment Thursday.