Pubdate: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 Source: Blade, The (OH) Copyright: 1999 The Blade. Contact: 541 North Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660 Website: http://www.toledoblade.com/ Author: Jim Sielicki, Blade Staff Writer CAMPSITE MAY BE CLOSED OVER DRUG BUST PORT CLINTON - The campground where 19 people were arrested for alcohol and drug violations during a weekend music festival could be seized or ordered closed, a state law enforcement agent said yesterday. Eight juveniles and 11 adults were arrested Saturday during the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Harvest Fest. Earl Mack, a Toledo agent with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said his office will forward a report of the raid at Golden Eye Campground to the Ottawa County prosecutor's office next week. The charges he will seek against the owner, Richard Carpenter, include being the keeper of a place where liquor is given away or furnished in violation of the law, and allowing possession or consumption of alcohol on private property by underage minors. Conviction on the "keeper of a place" law will allow authorities to seek the campground's closure, Mr. Mack said. "With that, if we can find him guilty we can go to court for an order to seize the property," Mr. Mack said. Mr. Carpenter could not be reached for comment. State agents and Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said they raided the campground after watching alleged underage drinking from a vantage point on State Rt. 53. Two undercover agents went in after paying the $25 cover charge and initially made two arrests, Mr. Mack said. More agents were summoned from Cleveland and elsewhere to conduct a raid at about 8:30 p.m. Officers entered from the front gate and rear of the campground, he said. Sheriff Craig Emahiser estimated attendance was between 2,000 and 2,500. Thick marijuana smoke posed a problem of exposing agents to a potential "contact high," Mr. Mack said. "Next time we'll have to wear some kind of oxygen masks. Sheriff Emahiser said his office will confer with the prosecutor to determine whether a court order can be obtained to prohibit future festivals. In addition to liquor and drug violations, deputies are concerned about an alleged nuisance to the neighborhood. "We've had an ongoing problem with people complaining about the noise," Sheriff Emahiser said. Previous festivals sponsored by the Sandusky County chapter of NORML have not caused the type of problems experienced last weekend, Sheriff Emahiser said. Hans Ashbaucher, president of NORML's Sandusky County chapter, could not be reached for comment. The organization is a lobbying group dedicated to seeking the reform of laws that bar marijuana use for medical and recreational purposes. The adults arrested will appear in Ottawa Municipal Court in Port Clinton on misdemeanor charges Sept. 29. The juveniles will appear in court at a later date. Sheriff Emahiser said some suspects could be charged with felonies if tests determine other drugs were found. The first-degree misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. One agent, Betty Ford from Cleveland, was injured when she twisted her knee in a wooded area. Mr. Mack said she was treated at Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea