ALFORD ADMITS GUILT IN POT CASE

The former head of the Northern Kentucky University Foundation quietly
pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges Tuesday in Campbell County.

James Alford admitted to Campbell Circuit Judge Leonard Kopowski that
he sold small amounts of marijuana from his apartment in Highland
Heights. He said he was accepting punishment for his actions.

Alford did get a break because of his plea. Assistant Campbell
Commonwealth Attorney Anthony Bracke said he was dropping a gun
specification in the charge, which dropped the maximum penalty from 10
years to five years.

He also is recommending that Alford be put on probation instead of
serving prison time.

Bracke said although police found a gun in Alford's apartment, they
found no evidence to conclude that it played any role in his dealing
of marijuana.

In return for Alford's guilty plea, Bracke is recommending that he
serve five years on probation, be put on home incarceration for 180
days, perform 400 hours of community service, pay a $1,000 fine, and
reimburse the Highland Heights Police Department for its cost of the
investigation.

Kopowski will sentence Alford on June 17.

Neither Alford not his attorney, Dean Pisacano, would comment on the
case.

As head of the NKU Foundation -- an organization separate from the
college -- Alford, 53, was responsible for managing and investing
millions of dollars in donations and endowments.

He was widely praised for his work, and the foundation's rate of
return was among the highest in the county.

But on the side, police said, he was a small-time dealer.

Highland Heights police and the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force
arrested Alford in December after a month-long investigation. When
police raided his home, they said they confiscated about 12 ounces of
marijuana, digital scales and plastic baggies used to package the
drug, and a .38-caliber revolver.

Investigators said they found no ties between Alford's position at NKU
and his alleged drug selling. While they believe he sold small
quantities of the drug to young adults from his home, none of the
buyers was connected to the university, they said.