Five University of Miami students were arrested in Key West last weekend during the annual Fantasy Fest Halloween Festival.
Fantasy Fest, which draws nearly 75,000 people, is a 10 day long Halloween celebration with a parade that showcases floats, costumes and performances. According to the Key West Police Department, more than 100 officers from multiple agencies worked around the clock throughout the celebration and patrolling the streets.
The five students were arrested by the Monroe County Sheriff’s office and were taken into custody on either Oct. 24 or 25. Two of the students were arrested on felony drug charges and the other three were taken into custody for misdemeanors.
Student A was charged with two felonies: one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of manufacturing or delivering drug paraphernalia. According to the arrest report provided by the Key West Public Information Officer Shannon Perzel, a Key West detective approached the student after seeing him fidget with something in his wallet. The detective found a plastic baggie with white powder in it, and two other detectives on the scene arrested the student.
Substances later identified as Ketamine and Molly were found in a metal case that Student A informed the detective of. The case was sitting on a nearby window ledge.
Student B was taken into custody for drug possession of a controlled substance without lawful prescription after officers found him in a public bathroom with Student C, who was described as inhaling cocaine.
Student C, a Foote Fellow, was arrested for a misdemeanor of inhaling dangerous drugs. He was not charged with possession of drugs.
Students D and E were taken into custody for unrelated misdemeanors. Student D, a Presidential Scholar, was found urinating on the side of Rick’s Bar and resisting an officer without violence.
According to the arrest report, Student E was heavily intoxicated and charged with a misdemeanor for obstructing a law enforcement officer from performing a Marchman Act and violating arrest without violence.
The Marchman Act allows for the voluntary or involuntary assessment, stabilization and treatment of people whose substance use meets specific legal criteria.
Under the law, family members, friends and others with qualifying knowledge of a person’s substance use may petition a court to require assessment if there is reason to believe the person has lost control over their substance use.
Depending on the circumstances, law enforcement may also initiate protective custody under the act.
The Hurricane has decided not to name the five students who were arrested. The cases are ongoing and we did not want to cause further harm to our peers. The Hurricane prides itself on being a source of reliable, unbiased, student-centered news dedicated to reporting on and for the UM community.