Posted on 11/19/2013 1:57:44 PM PST by AuH2ORepublican
Rep. Trey Radel, a freshman Republican from Florida, was arrested on Oct. 29 for possession of cocaine in the District of Columbia, according to D.C. Superior Court documents.
Radel, 37, was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Radel faces a maximum of 180 days in jail, as well as a possible fine up to $1,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia declined to comment on Radel’s arrest or criminal cases.
The Florida Republican is a former journalist, TV anchor and radio talk-show host. He never held elective office before winning his House seat last November.
Radel’s office did not respond to a request for comment at press time.
The freshman lawmaker represents Florida’s 19th district in the southwestern part of the state. The district includes Fort Myers, Naples, and Cape Coral.
lol
I have not heard of this representative, but Floridians are notorious for their poor primary picks.
Good point
He ought to use that, say he has no intention of resigning when the POTUS admits to have used cocaine
Obama is obviously still high on something
The crime of drug possession in D.C. requires (1) knowing or intentional (2) possession of (3) a controlled substance. The charge is subject to the affirmative defense that the substance in question was possessed pursuant to a valid prescription.
Elements of the Offense
In order to make this charge, the prosecution must first prove that the defendant “possessed” the substance. This could be actual possession. The defendant could, for example, have the drugs in his hands or pocket at the time he is stopped by police. Alternatively, the drug could be in the defendant’s “constructive” possession. This means that, while the contraband may not actually be on the defendant’s person, the defendant both knew about the drugs and had the ability and intent to exercise control over the drugs.
As with most other criminal charges, the prosecution must also prove criminal intent, or mens rea. There could be “negligent” possession in which the defendant should have known that the possessed substance was contraband. There could be “reckless” possession in which the defendant disregarded specific indications that he possessed an illegal substance. Or, as in this case, the prosecution is required to prove “knowing” or “intentional” possession by the defendant. This means that the defendant knew very well that the substance he possessed was contraband but intended to possess it nonetheless.
The third and final element the prosecution must prove is that the drug recovered from the defendant is a “controlled substance”; that is, that it is included on the list of substances that are not able to be legally possessed without a valid proscription under the D.C. Controlled Substances Act.
The Controlled Substances Act groups substances that a person is not allowed to possess without a valid prescription into five categories — or “schedules.” Schedule I includes those substances (e.g., LSD and certain opiates) for which the legislature has determined there is a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use in treatment. Schedule II includes substances (e.g., oxycodone, amphetamines, PCP, and some opiates) for which there is a high potential for abuse and only severely restricted uses in medical treatment. And so on to Schedule V, which includes controlled substances with a low potential for abuse, many uses in medical treatment, and low potential for physical or psychological dependence.
Penalties
Simple possession of a controlled substance in D.C. is a misdemeanor, with a maximum penalty for a first conviction of 180 days incarceration and a $1000 fine. The maximum penalty for a second or subsequent conviction would be double that.
If this is the first drug conviction for the defendant either in D.C. or anywhere else in the United States, the court can put the defendant on probation for up to a year and defer an adjudication of guilt. If the defendant successfully completes the probationary period, the court can dismiss the case, and the defendant can have the arrest completely expunged from his/her record. The court can also dismiss the case early, before the expiration of the probationary period, if the person seems to be complying with the terms of probation. If, however, the defendant violates the terms of the probation, the court can enter an adjudication of guilt without any further proceedings and sentence the person accordingly. D.C. Code 48-904.01.
From his campaign web site:
Trey Radel is a husband, a father, an entrepreneur and the Conservative voice of Southwest Florida. Trey is now the Republican Nominee to represent Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
Trey and his wife had their baby boy, Jude, in December.
Most recently, Trey hosted one of Florida’s premier Conservative TV & Radio Talk Shows – Daybreak, on TV-6 & 92.5 Fox News.
Radel is trilingual, well-traveled and has had a successful run in the broadcast industry, but he says his “true test in life” has always come in deciding to put his life on the line as an entrepreneur to start up new businesses and recently, a new nonprofit.
Outside of radio, Radel ran Trey Communications LLC, a Media Relations company that focused on advancing conservative causes. Radel says, “I have fought for and will continue to fight for lower taxes, less government and more freedom.”
Trey and his wife recently launched US Forces Fund, a nonprofit focused on helping injured soldiers returning home from abroad. Their first project recently wrapped up. They built a handicapped-accessible addition onto the Cape Coral home of PFC. Corey Kent, who lost his legs and a hand while serving our country in Afghanistan.
Before the TV & radio show, Radel served Southwest Florida as a journalist, working as both an Anchor and as a Reporter in the field.
In between working as a Reporter and Anchor, Radel bought, reformatted, and expanded the Naples Journal, a community newspaper in Collier County.
Looking to the future, Radel says, “In 2012, it’s time to put more fiscal conservatives, non-career politicians into Congress. We need to also take back the Senate and White House. Together, let’s get the job done.”
No he does not have to resign, and shouldn’t. No one knows whether this is real or planted. We are being diminished by leftists in an Alinsky sort of what that uses our values against us.
And even if real, so what? Not my choice, but there are far worse issues like being a Barney Lying Frank.
You have no idea whether this is true. There is no true news anymore.
So cool your jets.
Hmmm... They also have a troupe in Toronto. Is that where Mayor Ford got his start?
I had an Army buddy who also went by "Trey" for the above reason. At Bragg, he bought a new POV and wanted a vanity plate "Trey-mendous", but that was too many characters for a NC License plate so he cut it down to "3MENDOUS". After he put the plates on his truck, he never lived down the "Three Men Do Us" jokes :-)
“It’s a yuppie/hipster/preppy d-bag name if you ask me.”
Agreed. I never went to school with any “Treys”.
LOL!
Reminded me of that Army driver behind the unit who kept reporting, “I’m comin’ in your rear.”
When you first told me that story, I laughed so hard I almost went off the “road”!
“I think that Radel will have to resign; after all, it’s not as if he’s a Democrat. ..”
Sad, but true.
Trey is blaming his alcoholism for this. Not his fault, the booze made him take the blow.
What
A
D-bag...
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