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BRS teen arrested for LSD possession

By Lisa Majors-Duff

A Blue Ridge School student has been arrested for possession of LSD.

Joseph Daniel Ezechel, 17, of Cashiers, was taken into custody Oct. 20 after School Resource Officer Robbie Hess, a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, was alerted to a possible crime on the school campus.

Hess recovered from Ezechel six aluminum foil packets containing a substance believed to be LSD, said Detective Darrin Young, who took over the case after the teen was transported to the Sheriff's Department. The material has been sent to the state crime lab for a positive identification, Young said.

Charges against Ezechel include felony possession of drugs, possession with intent to sell and/or deliver a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from the Jackson County Jail after posting a $5,000 secured bond.

Superintendent Frank Burrell confirmed Ezechel is suspended and not in school pending disciplinary action.

"Anyone who is worried about this situation needs to call me," Blue Ridge School Principal Lib Balcerek said.

The Sheriff's Department investigation is continuing, with additional charges possible against Ezechel, other students and members of the community, Young said.

Back to Archive: 10-28-99.