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UNCW students involved in two serious drug busts

Submitted by WWAY on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 5:55pm.READ MORE: UNCW students involved in two serious drug busts
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On Wednesday night, two UNCW students were among four men arrested in a cocaine trafficking bust at the Reserve Apartments on Darlington Avenue. That same day, UNCW students Christopher Misenheimer and Jonathan Parker were among four people arrested in a heroin bust in a condo just a stone's throw from campus. Rebecca Caldwell, who runs the substance abuse program at UNCW said, "I've communicated with the sheriff's department since the arrests were made and will continue to communicate." David Donaldson, the UNCW chief of police said drug violations on campus were up in 2008 over 2007, but they were mostly minor infractions involving marijuana. Donaldson said these latest arrests off campus mirror what's happening in New Hanover County rather than highlight a problem at UNCW. "We're very fortunate in this community to have law enforcement agencies that take a very aggressive approach to drug violations and a prosecutor's office that takes a similar approach." Heroin seizures were up dramatically in New Hanover County in 2008, and 2009 is off to a similar start with yesterday's 170 bags. "One reason we might have a special eye on drugs like heroin and cocaine is that adolescents are using more prescription drugs. They're heavy opiates that could... Lead to serious street drugs like heroin or cocaine," said Caldwell. She said drugs like Oxycontin and Darvocet fall into that group. Meantime detectives say more arrests could be coming in the heroin ring.

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These "criminals" and or

Submitted by uncw student (not verified) on Sat, 03/07/2009 - 1:31am.
These "criminals" and or "dopers" have done wrong, but should they really be put in prison for a better portion of their life? To not know anything about these young adults, how could anyone put such harsh judgment upon them without really looking at what is best for these individual's futures and the contributions they can make to our society. They will always be contributing to our states debt behind bars. If these students were permitted to undergo a shorter sentence and a thorough drug rehabilitation, their whole situations could be turned around. They could not only stop hurting society, they could in fact help it. By locking them up and throwing away the key, our state will just be unjustly giving up on them. I think the close minded opinions that have been posted are the exact problem with public opinion. Too many dumb people that think they know everything. One of my best friends fathers is a pastor and apparently used to be a large drug trafficker/ distributor. I am not a religious individual, but by doing the former does that make him ultimately no better than a "criminal"? This is a question I have asked myself many times and is one of the reasons I question what is truly right. I do not believe one mistake should determine whether you are a criminal, and I believe these individuals should be permitted into a rehabilitation center following a smaller amount of jail time. They need to learn their lesson however they also need to start helping society, not hurting it.
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drug bust

Submitted by bryden76 (not verified) on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 5:41pm.
I know one of these kids arrested in this drug bust and it's sad cause he is a very bright young man who got mixed up with the wrong group of people. This could be anyone of your kids one day, good kids sometimes do bad things, I hope they don't go to prison.
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It was only a matter of time

Submitted by WilmMan on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 10:09am.
WRONG....good kids might do something stupid, but this is way beyong stupid. And I knew it wouldn't take too long before someone said one of these individuals was good kid, just mixed up with the wrong crowd. PLEASE!!! All these kids should be in prison
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I really don't care

Submitted by Gkirk88 (not verified) on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 6:47pm.
I really don't care who arrests the drug dealers, I just wish they would come on over to Brookstone Village and get the one's in here. It's insane that the managers could care less and have done nothing to ease the problem. I have used the new TIPS website, so I hope now that something will be done.
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Heroin and drugs in Wilmington

Submitted by Guest102362 (not verified) on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 6:14am.
Personally I am sick of the drug dealers and users in Wilmington and I want them ALL gone. I don't care what the Wilmington Police need to do to get rid of them in this city, whether it's heavy handed or not! If Junior is away at UNC-W dealing, has a spoon up his nose, or is putting a needle in his arm he should be arrested like all the other users and dealers in this town and every where else. I live in a complex where drug usage and dealing happen every day in mine and my daughter's face. I have talked until I am blue in the face to our management. If it weren't for the Police Department here (not the UNC-W campus police) nothing would ever get done. Stop arguing over who has jurisdiction and just deal with the fact we have a drug problem here. Thank goodness we have law enforcement that do their jobs otherwise we would be worse off than we are now. One of my friends just lost his life doing his job because of drugs in this town! If you want to sit idly by and watch each and every one of these kinds of people multiply fine, but wait until they infest YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD and you might change your mind!
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Great job New Hanover Co Sheriffs office!

Submitted by joyous (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 1:06pm.
Good to see these drug traffickers biting the dust. I don't care if they are students, they are dope dealers. Keep up the good fight. Being a citizen of Wilmington, I'm glad the New Hanover county Sheriffs office is proactive in the battle against drugs in our city. They will never rid it completely, but their making a difference. I live behind UNCW. I know alot happens around my neighborhood. I'm glad the Sheriffs office is investigating drugs in our community.
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Amen to that. Dope dealers are ruining the city of Wilmington.

Submitted by guest133521 (not verified) on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 9:50am.
The New Hanover co Sheriffs Dept has always been hard chargers in the persuit of drug dealers. I live in Pine Vally. It's getting closer to us. Sheriff Causey has been going after drug dealers since the 1980's. He is a member of my church and I'm grateful for what his Dept does for the people who live in Wilmington. Keep up the work WPD and New Hanover county Sheriffs Dept. We thank you!
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UNCW: Whose Jurisdiction Is It Anyway?

Submitted by topogigo (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 10:51am.
Why you have been arguing this problem is stupid. First off all, the arrests were off campus. Secondly, the land that UNCW is built on is within the city limits of Wilmington, NC and, despite the fact that UNCW has it's own police force, falls under jurisdiction of Wilmington, NC. Your mail comes in the name of the city of Wilmington, right? Well, Einstein, then you live in the city of Wilmington. And, since Wilmington, NC is in New Hanover County, you also get the added bonus of the NHCSD.
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Get your facts right if you

Submitted by justwaitthough (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 2:06am.
Get your facts right if you want to make a statement - an NHC Deputy shot Strickland. This comes as no suprise to me given the increasing use of pharms like oxycodone and their limited availability. Trust me, the heroin market in Wilmington is booming right now and will not be slowing down anytime soon. Nice job to the NHC vice team but this is really a drop in the bucket. At any given time there are more than one 100 active heroin dealers in Wilmington...
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UNCW students busted

Submitted by momamia (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 6:22pm.
I saw the news and couldn't believe that college students are selling heroin and cocaine. I'm glad the New Hanover county Sheriffs Dept is going after these guys, but these arrests occured in the city limits. Shouldn't Wilmington police be investigating these people?
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Where have...

Submitted by sdsurfer (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 10:02am.
"I saw the news and couldn't believe that college students are selling heroin and cocaine." >Where have you been for the last 20+ years? Fortunately, these "dopes" are the exception and not the rule.
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Well, sort of....

Submitted by Friend (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 10:04pm.
Technically speaking, you are correct. The campus is within the city limits, therefore, it's logical to conclude that this might be better classified as a WPD issue. However, UNCW gets jurisdiction on incidents that happen on their campus, and they are allowed input on situations involving students that occur off-campus. The New Hanover County Sheriff's office is true to its name. It is a county agency, and therefore, its jurisdiction is anywhere within the county, including the city of Wilmington, the UNCW campus, and all of the beaches. According to the guidelines set forth by the SBI (State Bureau of Investigations), the Sheriff's Department is the highest level of law enforcement agency within each of North Carolina's 100 counties. Therefore, the New Hanover County Sheriff's department can respond to any call within the county that they choose. Typically speaking, they do not respond into the city or the beaches unless asked to do so by the corresponding agency OR a citizen. For example, if someone lives within the city of Wilmington, their first agency is WPD. But if that citizen is not satisfied with WPD's response, OR if they simply want to deal with the Sheriff's department, all they have to do is call and ask for a deputy and a deputy will respond. WPD responds to calls within the city, and they can go one mile into the county beyond the city limits. NHCSO is not limited. The Sheriff's Department has greater flexibility, and it is my guess that because of that and because of the fact that NHCSO has more resources (i.e., dedicated vice units whose SOLE job purpose is to investigate crimes involving illegal substances) than UNCW does, UNCW wisely agreed to let NHCSO be primary on this one. I'm not a huge fan of our current Sheriff, but I do believe that his agency handles this kind of issue quite well. A sheriff COULD be quite heavy-handed with the flexibility that they are given. He could choose to completely step on the toes of other law enforcement agencies within our county, but our Sheriff does not do this on a regular basis. WPD handles incidents within its borders, the beach agencies handle their incidents, and the State Highway Patrol handles traffic accidents that occur within the county outside of the city of Wilmington. Our deputies are therefore allowed to focus their efforts on law enforcement within the county.
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Im sure the City is

Submitted by Guest also (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 9:36pm.
Im sure the City is investigating some college kids, but why cant the Sheriff's Office investigate them also. The City is in the County. The Sheriff's Office has an outstanding Drug Unit. Praise to them and the job they do.
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uncw out of city jurisdition

Submitted by uncw police (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 9:31pm.
The UNCW campus is not in the jurisdiction of the city. UNCW has it's own police force. We do not call on WPD we use the sheriff's office to handle our affairs. Remember Peyton Strickland and what a good job they did for us on that case? The WPD would have more than likely just served Strickland an order to appear in court and not even have shot him. Besides telling WOD that you got a drug problem will just open a can of worms, they would be busting like 100 kids a week and jeez imagine how pizzed mom and dad would be. Nah we'd never want WPD to know what we do about our drug problem.
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The Reserve Apartments where

Submitted by Guestyyyyyyyyy (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 9:58am.
The Reserve Apartments where they were arrested is not on UNCW campus, as the article tells you, it is on Darlington Avenue. Nice rant, though.
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UNCW is state property, WPD

Submitted by Guest549 (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 1:31am.
UNCW is state property, WPD does have jurisdiction at UNCW, all municipal AND county LEO's have jurisdiction on state property that fall within their territorial jurisdiction. The only places within the city limits that WPD or Sheriff deputies do not have jurisdiction are The federal court house and other federal property. There are however several WPD/NHSO personel that have been sworn as deputies with the USMS, DEA and the FBI.
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Yeah

Submitted by Guestpbr (not verified) on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 1:16am.
UNCW OUT OF CITY JURISDITION: What you say is completely on target, but the way you present this is showing the lacking of the education on your part. UNCW has been providing for years a good solid education in Marine and other professions, so we can't blame them . Either attend the school or make sure an adult is proofreading what you decide you need to say. RIP Peyton and Blaze.
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where he belongs

Submitted by guesty on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 11:04am.
peyton was a criminal and is where he belongs. Wish we could get more to join him.
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Peyton again

Submitted by allen on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 12:33am.
As far as the sheriffs dept. goes I am glad they made this drug bust. I have seen people ruined because of drug use.
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Peyton

Submitted by allen on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 12:11am.
You may say peyton is where he belongs. Peyton is where he is because a cop could not differentate the sound of a battering ram and a gun. The sheriff's dept. settled a law suit out of court. This tells me they knew they would not win in court. The UNCW cops are just as guilty. They were there and that makes them accessories. So please curb your stupid attitude. PS You may not know it, but a second lawsuit has been filed against UNCW and Peyton's family will win. They are not trying to get rich because the are already well to do.
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I agree

Submitted by This.Kills.Me on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 10:13am.
Guesty, I agree. He's gone to where he needs to be. PS, if his family was so "well to do" then what was the purpose of stealing a PS3. Instead of manning up and either, A) asking for it or money from his parents or, B) working for the money to go and buy it, he stole it and, from what I remember beat up a kid, stole some others stuff. Such a model citizen. UNCW Police are not guilty at all. Since this POS lived off campus, they had no jurisdiction. See how much you know. LEO did fine, going in as they did. I stand behind them 100%. You choose to tangle with the beast, you get the teeth, and the teeth he got. Now back to the real story. LEO got a bunch of drugs off the street and put some pushers in jail. Way to go LEO!!!
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A settlement is not an admission of guilt

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 7:13am.
If you knew anything about our system of civil litigation, you would know that a settlement is not an admission of guilt. Most often a settlement is negotiated because it is cheaper than going to trial. A second reason is when, regardless of the innocence of a defendent's actions, a trial would guarantee a public relations nightmare. The first lawsuit may have had some merit, as the officer who made a mistake was employed by New Hanover County, and the county must take responsibility for his training and actions. The lawsuit against UNCW is ludicrous, as all they did was request assistance from NHCS in serving felony warrants off campus. There was no way for UNCW to anticipate that a New Hanover County deputy would make a mistake that cost Strickland his life. I have no heartburn nor concern about the Strickland's first lawsuit or settlement. Suing UNCW, however, is nothing more than legal grandstanding and is simply a part of the massive effort to re-create Peyton Strickland into a little saint. Keep repeating the lie often enough and people will forget the truth: That deputy would not have been at Strickland's home that evening had Saint Peyton not been involved in criminal activity.
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Does anyone remember the

Submitted by WilmMan on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 11:00am.
Does anyone remember the lawsuit against McDonalds because a lady spilled her hot coffee on her lap??? She won that lawsuit, out of court, but does anyone really think McDonalds was responsible??? Yeah, winning a lawsuit really proves who's guilty
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Civil / Criminal / Admission of guilt.

Submitted by allen on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 10:57pm.
I never said the case was civil or criminal. I never said a settlement was an admission of guilt. It appears some of you are in need of psychosurgery. I am done dealing with all these simple minds.
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The guilty are really innocent

Submitted by WilmMan on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 9:13am.
And I am done with people like you that always think the guilty are actually innocent and LEO always does something wrong.
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THANK YOU

Submitted by Friend (not verified) on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 11:20am.
Amen. Thanks for pointing out to all the dim wits that settlement does NOT automatically equal guilt. To the one poster who claimed the family wasn't trying to get rich because they were already financially secure, are you serious??!? If it's not about the money, why try to go back to court? THAT is a civil case, and part of the defintion of civil cases is that the plaintiff is demanding financial compensation for what they perceive as a loss. Civil cases are completely independent from criminal cases, so you can't claim that the family is just trying to squeeze out an admission of guilt from the defendant.
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Good Points

Submitted by SurfCityTom on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 9:58am.
you are quite correct. Insurance Companies call the shots on negotiating out of court settlements. If I am not mistaken, this case entailed a settlement well in excess of $1 million. Of that, I recall a post detailing the scholarship endowmwnt with perhaps $100,000. For one, I hope the insurance companies take a hard stance on this lawsuit. Let it go to court; let the defense bring in his 2 cohorts, who pled guilty to the related charges concerning the assault on the Christmas shopper who had the 2 computer gizmos and let them confirm or deny his participation. Let the defense also bring to the forefront some of his other activities which resulted from his temper. The lawsuit against UNCW appears frivilous. How did they play into this?
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Questions

Submitted by SurfCityTom on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 10:21am.
If they are not trying to get rich, and they have won an out of court settlement with the Sherrif's Department, what is the purpose behind a second lawsuit? Certainly, if a lawsuit could bring their son back to earth alive, then by all means sue away. Mr. Strickland is a prominent attorney. What purpose is a second lawsuit? Will they donate any amounts awarded to a worthy cause in their son's memory?
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Your Questions

Submitted by allen on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 8:23pm.
Some of the money from the out of court settlement went to an endowed scholarship at Cape Fear Community College in Peyton's name. The second lawsuit could just be for closure. Many people like to see a person convicted of murder executed for "closure". Executing a low life murderer does not bring the victim back. So I will close this by saying CLOSURE.
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great

Submitted by guesty on Sun, 02/22/2009 - 9:05am.
I'm very happy the family is trying to get more money. It still doesn't change the fact that peyton was a thief. If he hadn't been involved in stealing the ps3 he would still be around (and probably up to no good.)
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