(CCN) John Orem, the Republican nominee for Berkeley County Sheriff, was charged with heroin possession after apparently overdosing twice in two days.
The former Martinsburg police officer was arraigned on one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance Tuesday morning and released on $5,000 bail.
John Orem was found unresponsive in his Inwood, West Virginia home late Monday night. EMS Officials told West Virginia State Troopers that the overdose-reversing drug, Narcan had been administered.
Tuesday night State Troopers came to Orem’s house to assist EMS. Once again Oren was found unresponsive in his bathroom with heroin paraphernalia strewn around his seemingly lifeless body. This includes a spooned burned on the bottom with a piece of cotton that field tested positive for heroin.
State Troopers also said Orem refused to give a blood test upon being arrested.
Orem received 20.6 percent of the vote in the may primary to win the republican party nomination in a 9-way candidate race. According to Orem’s website, he promises to “fight the war on drugs” by “increasing pressure on street dealers and organized gangs using aggressive interstate interdiction… implementing task force initiatives, providing more undercover stings and using paid informants on the street.”
In West Virginia they have what’s known as a “Conditional Discharge” Law. A conditional discharge works by ordering the accused to a period of probation before trial date. The court proceedings are deferred during this period. If you complete the probation, the charges against you will be dismissed. Six months later, you can move to have all records expunged
Oren can receive no jail time and has the ability to get everything to just disappear.
One question we have to ask ourselves is if this “Conditional Discharge” law is afforded to everyone or is it at the discretion of the presiding judge?
Were other West Virginian heroin addicts afforded the same kind of leniency? Or is this another case of the state looking out for their own?
This article (An Anti-Drug Sheriff Candidate Was Just Arrested for Heroin Possession) by Jafari Tishomingo originally appeared on CounterCurrentNews.com and was used with permission. The Anti-Media radio show airs Monday through Friday @ 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Help us fix our typos: edits@theantimedia.org.