Midshipman Charged with Drug Rapes

Family and friends have attended the US Naval Academy at Anapolis, so I have a great deal of respect for the school.  But not all there is top-rate:

The Naval Academy has charged a former football player with drugging and raping two female midshipmen on separate occasions, including at a party attended by at least four teammates.

Kenny Ray Morrison, 24, is accused of raping one woman in a Georgetown hotel room at the rowdy, boozy party Feb. 4, and the other in Annapolis on April 21, according to charging documents. …

According to charging documents, which offer no details about the Annapolis incident, Morrison gave both of his alleged victims gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, also known as GHB, without their knowledge. It is a common date-rape drug that is also used recreationally.

As a midshipman, Morrison will be tried before a courts martial, the rules of which stipulate life in prison if he’s found guilty of rape.

A GHB Murder in South Dakota

From the Aberdeen (SD) American News:

A Northern State University student who was found dead last week in Pennsylvania was strangled after rejecting sexual advances from a sales manager for the company he was interning for, authorities have said.

Jason Shephard, 23, was found bound by belts and wrapped in sheets in the basement of William F. Smithson’s home in Thornbury Township, Pa., according to court documents. The Delaware County Times in Pennsylvania also reported that the basement contained a couch, mirrored ceiling and video equipment.

The 40-year-old Smithson, who worked in the Philadelphia office of the Brookings-based Daktronics Inc., was arrested and charged with first-, second- and third-degree murder, attempted rape, abuse of a corpse, aggravated assault, unauthorized administration of an intoxicant and tampering with evidence, a court official said Monday. Shephard, who was interning in Brookings, was in Pennsylvania on a three-day business trip.

According to reports from the Associated Press, Smithson allegedly slipped the date-rape drug GHB into Shephard’s drink during dinner Sept. 18 and then the next day reported him missing. Authorities found Shephard’s body around 6:30 p.m. Thursday after getting a tip from a former lover of Smithson’s.

Those who think only women have something to fear from drug-assisted rape, think again. GHB and its chemical brothers are frequently used against men — all too often with results like this.

Sex And Violence At Raves

Some pro-drug people who attack this blog claim that there is no violence at raves.  I offer this point of view as an alternative view, from the Hong Kong Standard:

A former drug abuser who identified herself as Ah Sze said once she entered a disco she felt compelled to take drugs.

“The atmosphere made me want to take drugs. Even if I didn’t want to take drugs for some days, when I went in and saw everyone having drugs, I felt that I wanted to join them,” the 20-year-old said. …

She said Ecstasy cost HK$100 a pill, and ketamine HK$150 a packet. Friends spent up to HK$1,000 a night on drugs, but she spent HK$200. …

The drugs exposed girls to the risk of sexual assault, she said, resulting in her being molested.

“Once I was touched by many boys. I knew that, but I didn’t know how to resist. I had no strength. I couldn’t even move my legs. Once I got up, I fell down immediately.”

She said that discos were also a place for brawls, each night seeing one or two fights.

Don’t be fooled into thinking is always lovely with club drugs.

Two More Club Drug Comas

I don’t know when this occurred; it’s from the New England Medical Journal, quoted in the Toledo Blade:

The girl found her boyfriend and his pal unconscious during a college party with plenty of alcohol. Instead of letting them sleep it off, she called 911.

“Drunk,” was the EMTs first thought. En route to the hospital, however, the boys slipped into a coma, and by arrival they didn’t even respond to pain.

The boys looked healthy. Blood and urine tests showed no common drugs or large amounts of alcohol. Then they stopped breathing, and were put on respirators. If the girlfriend had left them to “sleep,” they would have been brain dead in about 6 minutes.

Next day they regained consciousness and walked out of the hospital – unable to remember anything from the night before.

This is why spend time on this blog instead of with my family — in the hope that someone will read a story like this and think to call 911 because they understand the risk, and save the life of someone they love.

Drugged or Drunk?

That’s the name of an interesting article on Salon that tells the story of Emily Dowdy, who now resides in Oklahoma’s Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, convicted of DUI manslaughter after her car plowed into another, instantly killing the son of a local police chief.

The twist in this tale is that it’s highly likely that Dowdy had been drugged with GHB at the nightclub she was visiting prior to the accident and that she had been raped.

Read the story.  It presents a compelling case for police departments to consider the possibility of GHB as a causal factor in accidents, and to routinely test for presence of the drug.

Dowdy hopes to be released on appeal, but until the court decides, she is in prison, suffering from partial paralysis as a result of the accident — and if she was, in fact, drugged, the perp who drugged her, raped her and caused the death of a young man remains free.

Tejano Star’s Drug Rape Trial Starts

Joe Lopez is a superstar, one of the most popular stars of the Tejano music that’s so popular along the Texas/Mexico border.

He’s also an alleged child rapist.

Lopez is charged with three counts of aggrevated sexual assault, one count of indency with a minor, and one count of providing GHB, Ketamine or rohypnal to her.

On the first day of his trial, Lopoez fired his attorneys — a classic delay tactic — and the trial was suspended until new attorneys can be found.  He’s in jail for now, but with jail set at a low $25,000, this is one singer who may be somewhere over the rainbow soon.

Long Prison Terms In Drug Death

This is an old story I just caught wind of when I noticed someone came to The Drug Report via a browser search for Thairon Hawk.  The story serves as a warning against GHB and its chemical cousins.  It also evidences reprehensible behavior by a number of people who could have made better, more moral, choices.

Killed by the drug Butanediol was Meghan Maroney, 18.  From the May 14, 2006 edition of the Anchorage (AK) Daily News: 

Two men were sentenced Friday for their roles in the death of a 16-year-old girl who died as a result of a drug overdose in 2003, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Glade Lusk, 22, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison while Matthew O’Connor, 26, got 10 years.

Lusk pleaded guilty last January to possession of the drug Butanediol with intent to distribute. The drug also is known as BD and is similar to the date-rape drug GHB.

Lusk admitted having possession of a bottle containing the drug and being present when it was consumed by a number of people, including Chugiak High School student Meghan Maroney, June 12, 2003, in an apartment in Anchorage.

Lusk also pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact for his part in trying to conceal what had occurred. Because of Lusk’s admitted background of selling drugs, primarily “ecstasy” pills, he received more than 13 years in prison.

Two other defendants, O’Connor and Thairon Hawk, also were charged in the fatal overdose of the girl.

Both pleaded guilty, Hawk for trying to dispose of the drug, and O’Connor for distributing it. Hawk was earlier sentenced to 35 months in federal prison.

According to police, Maroney and an 18-year-old woman took doses of the drug at a late night gathering. Maroney died. The other teenager became sick but recovered.

Brimble Drug Rape And Death Update

If you’re not following the Australian press, you’re probably unaware of the death of Dianne Brimble on a P&O cruise ship — after she was apparently drugged with GHB and raped by any number of eight men who are implicated in her death.

Pity her poor family.  The story appears to be growing to O.J. Simpson or Scott Peterson size, dragging her children through a protracted hell.

My original post on the story provides background.  Here are some links to some more recent stories from the almost 2000 listed at Ask.com:

Brimble ‘would never do drugs’

Passenger heard Brimble’s protest in next cabin

Disturbing evidence at Brimble inquiry

And this, which gives us what may have been Dianne Brimble’s last, pleading words:  Brimble men told:  I’m not like that.

Coach’s GHB Claim In Doubt

I wrote earlier about Ohio University football coach Frank Solich's defense of his drunk driving charge:  That he actually had been drugged with GHB.  He even has lab tests of hair samples to prove it.

But do they prove anything?  Not according to two toxicologists quoted in the Columbus (OH) Dispatch:

Toxicologists Dr. Pascal Kintz of the Labotratoire ChemTox in Illkirch, France, and Dr. Bruce Goldsberger of the University of Florida College of Medicine recently questioned the high amount of GHB in the sample. GHB is a colorless, odorless liquid that can cause drowsiness, dizziness and nausea.

In an e-mail to The Athens News, Kintz wrote "the sample appears to be suspiciously flawed."

"It is absolutely not possible to find such an amount of GHB in hair after a single exposure," he wrote.

Goldsberger told The News, "There is something wrong with this picture."

All of which misses the main point:  If you're impaired by anything, you shouldn't be driving.

Mom Dead from GHB on Cruise

Dianne Brimble used to be a mom saving hard to take her kid on a South Pacific cruise. 

Now, after finally raising the money and saying "bon voyage" to her friends, she's the subject of a coroner's inquest.  Here's the story from The Australian:

Brimble died on board the P&O cruise liner Pacific Sky from an overdose of the party drug GHB on the morning of September 24, 2002. She had saved for two years to take her 12-year-old daughter, Tahlia, on a South Pacific holiday and on the first night of the 10-day voyage had gone to a disco.Brimble was last seen dancing with a group of eight men from Adelaide. Several hours later she died on the floor of a cabin shared by four of the men.

The inquest heard that during the night one of the men took photographs of Mr Wilhelm having sex with Brimble.

Lawyers assisting the coroner have suggested her drink was spiked with GHB, also known as fantasy.

The eight men — Mr Wilhelm, Letterio Silvestri, Ryan Kuchel, Sakelaros Kambouris, Petar Pantic, Dragan Losic and Luigi Vitale — have been subpoenaed but have not yet been called to give evidence.

Assuming the allegations are true, the amazing thing about this story is that if Brimble's attackers — and they ARE attackers, as sure as beating a woman to rape her — had simply raped and not murdered, there probably would have been no police report, no inquest, no trial, no justice.

But she was raped, and she was murdered — and that's evil.

A GHB Death in New Zealand

It's unusual to hear about near-misses in the world of club drug use.  Emergency room visits for most of these drugs are up, but these stories rarely hit the papers.  That doesn't make near-tragedies like this one in New Zealand any less significant.

Police have issued a new warning about the drug GHB (gamma hydroxybutrate) after a near death Auckland woman was admitted to hospital this week.

The woman collapsed after taking GHB with champagne with her boyfriend who was also hospitalised after becoming extremely violent.

"The woman almost died. She was status one which is as close as you get to dying and for a minute they didn't think she would pull through,'' North Shore area commander Inspector Les Paterson said today. "He (the boyfriend) was not as bad. He was quite violent but had no idea what he was doing.'' Mr Paterson said GHB, also known as fantasy, was dangerous and could kill. …

When taken with alcohol it could be more dangerous because alcohol tended to numb the senses and people would often take more of the drug.

Check it carefully:  The same drug made the boyfriend violent and put her in a coma.  Nice, huh?

A Good Guide to Rape Drugs

The blog Holly's Fight for Justice has a well-researched post on the dangerous drug-assisted rape drugs Rohypnol and GHB, including the effects and risks of the drugs, and steps one can take to be safe.

I particularly liked Holly's introduction, which is right-on:

Unfortunately the use of date rape drugs is on the rise, especially Rohypnol and GHB [I would add ketamine to the list]. However, keep in mind that the most common date rape drug out there is actually alcohol.

Yes, indeed.  Protect yourself from GHB, roofies and Ketamine — but always, watch out for alcohol, which not only can make you pass out into full vulnerability, but short of that, can strip you of the ability to make smart decisions.

Jessica’s GHB Story

I received this powerful comment today on an old post.  It justifies the purpose of this blog; the author says that as a recovering addict she now understands how wrong some of her opinions and informtion were, and that she is now a great believer in open information about drugs — definitely including the risk factors and down sides.

Hello

I came across your site through a technorati tag search for GHB. I am a recovering addict. I had been addicted to GHB for over two years. I’ve been clean for just over nine months

This post is all the more real to me than you may realize. Once you are in the culture – you are IN the culture. And evening out your brain with the use of various drugs to bring you up or down is all too real and way undereported in the mainstream media. It is all people know when they are using. To combat fatigue take an upper – if it’s too much supress it with a downer.

What many people fail to recognize is the fear that the user feels if their friend G-holes or blacks out etc… The urge to call the police or an ambulance always considered however because of the stigma attached to addiction and the possibility of getting caught and worse detoxing, causes many to not call 911. In the rave world “you take care of eachother”, “you do it on your own” and “deal with it”.

For many users, the rave scene and the use of E, G or K may have been the first time they could relax and actually feel something other than angst, depression, anxiety and maybe revisit a child hood that was cut short. I realized sadly, that all of a sudden I could focus and work. My attention span was heightened and many of my fears disapeared.

I’m sorry to hear that this person dyed. It very well could have been myself and I sometimes wonder how I managed to live, attend college full-time (21 classes for upgrading of my skills), and after graduating work 50 plus hours a week as an art director. I used drugs 24/7 to cope. I thought GHB was safe from all the research I did. I now know differently and am very blatant about it. I have posted on ProjectGHB.org’s forums during my recovery.

If life doesn’t slow down somewhat, sometime soon, many others unkowingly will succumb to addiction just to keep up with the Jones’. I would also like to say I’m not for or against the use of drugs. What I do beleive in, is education. If you do this… this could happen.

Saying “Don’t Trust Your Drug Dealer”… as someone who has used a lot of drugs, I must say that it has nothing to do with trust… it has to do with need to survive in this sped up world.

I am still coming to terms with what happened to me and have some residual anger towards many people, places and things. Most of all though it’s myself that I’m angry at. If you wouldn’t mind I will be creating a page on my website to refer people to sites with information on drug use and addiction. I would like to add your site if possible. I read your sidebar about the facts… that is all I’m trying to understand and I beleive in freedom of information. Feel free to read and browse my site – the notewaorthy, addiction and anxiety categories may be of interest to you and leave a comment behind if you like

Kind regards,
Jessica Doyle

Thank you, Jessica, and God bless you and strengthen you in your recovery!  Your Web site is quite beautiful and thought-provoking.

As a business owner, father, husband and all-around active person (board memberships, church, chores, etc.), I understand so well the pressures and the temptation to "manage" ups and downs.  I used to use alcohol for that purpose.

Now I use conversations with my family, exercise, reading the Bible, and time in prayer.  For non-Christians, I'd still recommend the latter two.  Maybe you need something other than a Bible, although it is a wonderful book, full of thousands of years of wisdom.  But the fact is, taking time to read a book of great wisdom, and to pray (meditate) on it, and to pray for others and yourself, gives you a great gift:  A time of peace and quiet, a time of larger perspective, and most of all, a time plugged in with the creator, the lifeforce of the universe.

Ohio Coach a GHB Victim?

The Sporting News reports that Ohio Univeristy football coach Frank Solich, who plead no contest to a drunk driving charge in November, has asked to withdraw his plea and plead not guilty, stating that he has since found out he had been drugged with GHB.

GHB, a.k.a. the date-rape drug, is colorless and odorless, but is effective at placing victims in a coma-like state. (It's also highly addictive and pretty much wrecks the lives of addicts.)

Here's the interesting Solich tale:

More than six months after pleading no contest to drunken driving, Ohio University football coach Frank Solich is fighting his conviction based on new evidence that shows he was drugged the night of his arrest, Sporting News has learned. …

Sporting News obtained a report of the results of a hair test performed by Toxicology Associates, Inc., which revealed the presence of GHB….  Hair analysis allows for detection of drugs over longer periods of time. Solich's sample, which was collected on Jan. 5, 2006, 40 days after his Nov. 26 DUI (OVI) arrest, was 1.30 cm in length. According to the report "drug detection is approximately 1.30 months, covering the date of 11-26-05 exclusively."

The memorandum of [Solich attorney Samuel] Shamansky's motion indicates Solich was "not aware of ingesting GHB (or any other drugs of abuse, for that matter), and he would not have pled no contest to OVI if he had been aware of the information."

GHB is known to cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and visual disturbances in low doses. In larger doses, the drug can cause unconsciousness, seizures, severe respiratory depression, and comas, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The police report from the Nov. 26 arrest indicates Solich was slumped over the wheel of his vehicle, which was still in drive facing the wrong way on a one-way street. Solich was unable to tell officers where he came from that evening as well. He also refused a Breathalyzer test, so there is no record of his blood alcohol content level from that evening.

The big question is, if Solich was in fact drugged by someone that night, who did it, and for what motive?  Any aspiring mystery writers out there, I've just given you an excellent plot line, for free.

GHB-Pushing Doc Charged

The blog Health Care Renewal has a report on sneaky efforts to broaded the allowed use of the drug Xyrem — also known as the dangerous killer drug GHB — for purposes other than its narrowly circumscribed use as a narcolepsy medication.

Newsday reported last week that a New York psychiatrist was indicted for allegedly participating "in a nationwide scheme to promote the prescription drug Xyrem to physicians … for unapproved medical purposes and to conceal the fact from insurance companies."

The indictment further alleged that the physician "conspired with the company that made Xyrem, Orphan Medical Inc, in Minnetonka, Minn., to promote it for unapproved uses including chronic pain and weight loss. Orphan Medical allegedly relied on … [him] to give lectures promoting Xyrem to physicians and paid him tens of thousand of dollars to do so."

Orphan Medical joins Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, as a "legal" drug pusher. 

GHB is a killer.  It's a common tool for drug-assisted rape. It's highly addictive and often kills its addicts as they try to go straight. It should not be promoted as anything else.