Yesterday
;Jimmy Tebeau, bass guitarist for The Schwag, a Grateful
Dead tribute band, was
sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and 200 hours of
community service for tolerating drug sales during the music
festivals he hosted at his southern Missouri campground. Under a
plea deal that spares him a possible sentence of up to 20 years,
Tebeau will also pay a $50,000 fine and forfeit his 250-acre
property, known as Camp Zoe.
The federal
charge to which Tebeau pleaded guilty, "maintaining
drug-involved premises," applies to defendants who "manage or
control any place" and "intentionally rent, lease, profit from, or
make available for use, with or without compensation, the place for
the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or
using a controlled substance." Hence it did not matter that Tebeau
neither distributed drugs nor profited from their sale. In fact, he
could have faced the same charge even if people merely
used drugs at his events, known as Schwagstock and
Spookstock. ;Tebeau reserved the right to challenge the use of
this statute against the operator of a concert venue, which has
potentially sweeping implications for just about any musical
performance where the scent of cannabis perfumes the air.
The Drug War Chronicle ;has background on the case
here.
[Thanks to Mark Sletten for the tip.] ;
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