Bong Owner Tried to Get $100K on eBay

SC sheriff probed swimmer's marijuana use but found no evidence, he says

(NEWSER) - South Carolina officials won't charge Michael Phelps for smoking that bong after all, The State reports. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said today he'd investigated Phelps' marijuana use at a November party, but came up short on evidence—even though Phelps had admitted to doing it. Legal analysts said Phelps would walk because he wasn't caught in the act and no witnesses had emerged. More»

Man who used to live in pot party house hit with possession

(AP) - Police in the county where Michael Phelps was photographed smoking a bong have been arresting people as they seek to make a case against the swimmer, a South Carolina defense lawyer says. The attorney said he has a client who was questioned about the now-infamous party Phelps attended near the University of South Carolina in November—and charged with possession of marijuana. More»

We elected a president who once smoked, so what's the big deal?

(NEWSER) - Poor Michael Phelps, who will have to be punished for something nearly half the country has also done, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. And poor Sheriff Leon Lott, who "probably doesn't want to press charges because it's a waste of time and resources." The real problems, says Parker, are outdated drug laws and a misdirected public message. More»

(NEWSER) - In his first post-bong-photo interview, Michael Phelps says he has a sure-fire way to stay out of trouble—get back to the "normal routine" of the swimming pool. In the interview—it airs tomorrow on NBC's Today show, notes Entertainment Tonight—Matt Lauer asks Phelps if he's worried the bong photo would supplant his image as a champion. "I have no control over that," says Phelps. The only thing he can control is getting back to the pool, "where my home is," and where "I know I can't do anything wrong." More»

Swimmer hides from cameras, tints windows

(NEWSER) - It’s understandable that Michael Phelps is a little camera-shy after the fallout from his bong portrait. But he’s started “hiding out at strip clubs” to avoid having his picture taken, the New York Post reports. The Olympic champ has also tinted the windows of his Baltimore home in a bid for privacy from the paparazzi. More»