Spring Break
Charges in drug case dropped
Ex-suspect Halperin 'relieved, vindicated'
By: Wenjia Zhang
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News
Last update: 3/26/08 at 5:58 AM EST
Last update: 3/26/08 at 5:58 AM EST
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Halperin was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell Feb. 27 after signing for a package that contained 27 pounds of marijuana at his current residence at 1026 W. Trinity Ave.
"I was really relieved and felt vindicated," he said. "Now we just want to make sure my name is clear with the right sources."
This is the second incident in a year in which drug-related charges were leveled against a Duke student and subsequently dropped.
Durham Police Department officials declined to comment on the case. Duke University Police Department Maj. Gloria Graham said she has not spoken with DPD officers recently and has not heard about charges being dropped.
At the time of the arrest, Halperin was home with seniors Matt Goldman, Joe Clark, Blake Rose and Victoria Woodbury, who is not a resident of the house. Those present said the arrest was a "traumatic" event.
"It was absolutely absurd how [DPD officers] treated me," Halperin said. "They paid me no respect."
When a DHL delivery man came to the door, Halperin signed for the package, which he said was addressed to Amy Bradshaw from Keystone Electronics in Illinois, and put it down by the door. He noted that because the house is leased to different tenants every year, he receives a lot of mail not addressed to current residents.
Five minutes later, there were "screams" and "banging" on the front door, the seniors said.
"My knee-jerk reaction was: 'Someone is trying to break in,' and [I] started to run to the back of our house," said Goldman, who was downstairs with Halperin at the time of the arrest.
Around seven DPD Selective Enforcement Team officers came into the house, followed by 10 to 15 regularly uniformed officers, who ordered the students to get on the ground, Halperin said.
Clark, who was upstairs in his room, said when he opened his door to check what was going on, he found a rifle pointed at his face.
"It looked like a war inside the house," Halperin said, noting that the house sustained approximately $1,000 worth of damages, including broken doors, shelves and glass.
Clark and Goldman said the force used was unnecessary.
"It was actually pretty ridiculous," Goldman said. "Just unbelievable. They were just pointing assault rifles at our heads."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 24
Locomotive Breath
posted 3/26/08 @ 7:31 AM EST
"27 pounds of marijuana"
"Halperin, Goldman and Clark said they were taken to the back of the house separately and asked to strip naked.
"They wanted to make sure we weren't hiding drugs in any body cavities," Goldman said. (Continued…)
Enough of this Already
posted 3/26/08 @ 8:42 AM EST
Enough of This already
posted 3/26/08 @ 6:36 AM EST
Wenjia Zhang,
So, Eric Halperin's marijuana arrest proves to be another DPD FU; and your ridiculous one sided stereotypical polemic has proved to be another false allegation! Way to go Duke Chronicle. (Continued…)
DPD
posted 3/26/08 @ 8:46 AM EST
Just another embarassing case of DPD incompetency. After the last "weed in a box" sham, it was pretty clear that this case had no merit. While I don't think Duke students should be treated differently than anybody else, I do feel that the slightest bit of investigative work on the part of the DPD would have indicated that the Duke seniors living in the house - none of whom have an arrest record of any kind - clearly were not running a drug ring, and that this case was more or less identical to the Ryan Packer case, which, of course, was summarily dismissed. (Continued…)
roper
posted 3/26/08 @ 9:25 AM EST
So now Larry Moneta has suddenly decided that he should extend the presumption of innocence to a fellow member of the Duke community. Well, good for him. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 3/26/08 @ 12:47 PM EST
Why should Moneta apologize? You cite an allegation by the LAX players that Moneta refused to provide additional security or excused absences from class for players who supposedly were being threatened by the NBPP and gangs in Durham. (Continued…)
Limit exceeded
posted 3/26/08 @ 2:51 PM EST
"I think The Chronicle should adopt a rule that you cannot post the same comment more than one million times."
Then you're at least 2 million over quota. (Continued…)
Duke Alum
posted 3/26/08 @ 6:39 PM EST
How did the DPD know to show up at this house and that the package contained illegal drugs? Do they know who sent the package since it was sent via a private carrier who should have records of the sender?
anonymous
posted 3/26/08 @ 10:37 PM EST
If the LAX players were so scared, did any of them hire his own security guard? Some of the players come from families that are very well-to-do in which the parents are very high-income powerful people living in homes worth well over one million dollars. (Continued…)
Truth Teller
posted 3/27/08 @ 10:37 AM EST
This entire discussion thread is so full of the usual LAX player garbage it makes me want to puke. The LAX players hired the strippers. The LAX players made the broomstick comment, and shouted the racial epithets, and sent out the disgusting email about killing and skinning strippers. (Continued…)
anon
posted 3/27/08 @ 1:33 PM EST
ping
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