Thug Lot Mug Shots: Mad Fools Get Arrested @ Phish Hampton Shows
The breakdown of the police reports from Phish’s Hampton reunion run. Complete with mugshots and a rundown of why the reports may be less than accurate
The title of this post pretty much explains it all. Of course, if the recent Phish reunion shows were held on the West Coast, I would have titled it “Hella fools get arrested…” Thousands of excited concert goers arrive in Hampton, VA to see their favorite 4-piece throw down the crazy funk jams that they’ve been dreaming of for the last 5 years, only to be fucked with imercifully by the local Po-Po. You may have heard about this on various websites or even on your local TV news, but I’m calling bullshit on many of these reports and the operation as a whole. I’m also going to tell you exactly why.
The mugshots I’ve provided in the gallery were taken from thesmokinggun.com after our writer Onsen emailed me a link. Apparently, these images are public property. I originally checked them out to see if any of my friends were featured but, although this is only said to be a small sample of those reportedly arrested, so far…so good. Cross referencing the smokinggun post with an Associated Press article sent to me by another writer, A.Misallati, the general consensus seems to be as follow:
* There were 194 arrests
* Most were for “possession” and “distribution”
* Nearly 200 officers were working the event
* $68,000 was seized
* Street value of drugs confiscated was $1,213,882.80
Yep, and “80 cents“. The exact calculation of the narcotics seems ridiculous, since street value will fluctuate, especially in a concert setting. My belief is that the number was inflated by authorities in the report because, this is the type of shit that freaks out soccer moms across the nation. I can almost guarantee that the amount of cash collected, on the other hand, was severely higher than reported. My bet is that it was at least twice that and the rest was pocketed. Sixty-eight grand sounds like a lot of money but not compared to the 1.2 million dollars worth of drugs that they are claiming to have seized. This gives the impression that the officers were so on point that they were able to prevent most of the distribution from even occurring. Most of this must have gone down outside the venue and within the time that the fans arrived and showtime, because I doubt that many arrests took place in the venue during the performance. It’s true that a number of “phans” without tickets were probably getting popped in the lot outside of the venue but, from what I remember, Hampton Coliseum does not provide a camping area. Coupled with the fact that the venue is known to be a historically sketchy spot to try and work anything illegal, not many people were likely to stay behind too long after the shows; limiting the amount of time for law enforcement to work their magical brand of justice.
I was stopped and grabbed on my way to a Honey Bucket during Bonnaroo 2005. I wasn’t doing shit at the time, either. I was laughed at and told, “Sorry. Looks like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” My hands were placed on a vehicle and $1,200 in cash was taken from my pockets. I was then simply thrown out of the venue and sneaked right back in. That year, someone had built a strip club in the lot (complete with pole), girls were being pimped down Shakedown, and people were slanging rock everywhere. It was dirty as fuck but I got stopped trying to take a piss. People were getting stopped for things like drinking from glass bottles. They would then get searched and arrested or “legally robbed”. After the festival, we read a police report much like this one and, although I can not recall exact numbers, the cash that was claimed to have been seized was comparable to that mentioned here, if not less. I saw people who’s confiscated money would have attributed to 1/10 of what they reported, all by themselves. The ration of cops on hand, versus the arrested attendees, means that each and every cop is averaged to have made one arrest a piece. Think about it. Plus, most of the busts for “distribution” did not take place during a sale to law enforcement. If they went down during a transaction between concert goers, then officers probably swiped the buyers loot as well or, at least, searched them and, undoubtedly, found something else. The rest of the busts for distribution were likely because the arrested parties had narcotics that were bagged separately and/or the weight of what they possessed was beyond a possession charge. Unless the parties involved were openly walking around holding giant buds in there hands, I have questions about how most of the possession charges occured at all.
(Click photos to enlarge)
I know that these are only 25 of the mugshots provided out of nearly 200, but look at these people. Some are blitzed out of their gourds, a few were probably busted legitimately, and the rest are just too stereotypical. These are the first shows of the tour so why do so many of these people look like they’ve been sleeping in a Toyota Chinook for the last 3 months? These kids were getting grabbed on hunches that panned out. Once you’re found with something, there’s not much you can say. You don’t see people getting patted down on the way into Celine Dione shows like you do at rap concerts. It’s a shame too, because you know that they have to at least be on some heavy meds to attend that bullshit.
FUN TIP:
Get out an old copy of the boardgame “Guess Who” or purchase one at your local thrift store. Cut the mug shots out and glue them to the pictures of the original game characters. Play your own version.
“Do you have dread locks?”
“Nope”
“Are your eyes tweeked out?”
“Yes”
“Are you sporting a hoodie”
“Nope”
“I guess you’re Tom!”
-Dead C
Im #19. The purple jersey and the ridiculous smile. I got arrested for screaming something to the effect of “Yahoo!”, to which a guy replied “yahoo?” so I ran to give him a high five, and he grabs me and 4 dudes rush me, and start searching all my shit. I caught 2 felony possession charges and a misdemeanor possesion charge, but the search was complete bullshit. The whole thing was a set-up. My only regret is not being rich enough to have gotten into the show, otherwise I wouldn’t have been on lot.
I figured as much. You’ve got that look on your face like you know that you were busted for bullshit but that you don’t want to give them the satisfaction.
Thanks for commenting. Hopefully we get some more posts about the really stories that went down.
I remember buying a piece of glass from the #10(second row far right)guy. I sat down for 1/2 hr just shooting the shit with him and his wife and they were by no means slinging other stuff so it was weird when I saw this guy pop up on the mugshot list.
hahahahah!!! I love the fun tip at the bottom. When I first saw all of the mugshots lined up, thats the first thing that popped into my head.
what, like you don’t look like you’ve been sleeping in a toyota chinook most of the time?
Liked this article. I’ve been to Hampton several times and have laughed in the face of the undercover heat there several times. Pay attention kids and don’t walk around with shit on you. The sad truth is cops can do whatever they want.
Also, the “street value” stat is fucking laughable. Total joke.
Hmmm so you did have drugs on your person (illegal) and got busted for bringing attention to yourself (stupid), and are blaming the cops for your idiocy.
Dude – if you are gonna smoke, toke, snort, shoot up, possess illegal substances or whatever.
For god sakes KEEP A LOW PROFILE.
Better yet say home and do it in your basement. Then you can’t get busted.
Asmodeus–
You sound like a dipshit. The “cops” admitted that I didn’t bring attention to myself. I tied my shoe on the way to the bathroom and was stopped by the fucking mounties. Then they swarmed me on ATVs. If they catch you with a wad of cash it’s over anyway. If you were at Bonnaroo that year you’d know that it was no joke.
The point is that if you send 200 cops to a fucking Steve Miller concert and grab everybody, you could easily make 200 pot busts on middle aged accountants.
If you’re going to side with the law enforcement illegally searching people and profiling them I hope your dumb ass gets popped in your tie die and SUV with your parents credit card.
Actually, that’s fucked up. I don’t wish that anyone gets busted, and I was lucky that they just threw me out, but don’t act so pretentious and ignorant. The idea that everybody deserved what happened to them is the same right wing mentality that created Guantanamo and tore innocent families apart due to paranoia. Once someone’s rights are sacrificed and put in jeopardy, it’s only a matter of time before yours are.
what makes me laugh the most is that here are just 20 of them or so? and i recognize like 4 of ’em!!!!! course I go see the dead, dso, king solomons and a couple of fests’ each year, but still.
Hampton is like such a police state.. i loved it a few years ago when i was at va beach a few miles away and this cop is yelling at an adult with a beer “not on MY beach you don’t mister…” and we’d just gotten back from San D where on mission beach you could bring cases and kids were doing it and smokin’ peacefully etc.
still, it’s the rock, it’s the oxy and it’s trey getting popped driving on the wrong side of the road.. or bob weir’s crowd with the lethal amounts of smack arrests… it’s just TOO wild wild west ….
To the guy with the goofy smile and the ravens jerz. if this is really you. this easily could be a unconstitutional search and seizure, under the 4th amendment. hire a good lawyer, and hopefully the evidence gets thrown out.
Ok so like 200 ppl and 1.2 million in drugs = over $6,000 per person busted! Who is dumb enough to bring that much anywhere? You tell me the 1st guy isn’t tweaking outta his mind? Trey doesnt do drugs and the band is not promoting dirty, junkie, phans. People were told DO NOT SHOW UP WITHOUT TICKETS!…SO what do wookies do? show up without tickets and drugs then whine when they get busted for possessing illegal stuff…it is what it is….deal with it… if you are there for the music you dont need any drugs anyways…if you do need drugs and continue to go then your ruining it for everyone.
I have an ongoing argument with a friend. I am betting the city board of directers jizzed iin their pants when the figured out how much revenue the are gonna generate from all of the fines coutr costs and subsequent bullshit ways they have to get your money is gonna be. He says contraband doesnt generate revenue. Local law enforcement were licking their chops as soon as the whole gig was approved..
FUCK THA POLICE!
The messed up part is reading articles about the arrest is phish paid for the extra cops what is up with that? The create a culture and now they pay cops to bust kids on lot. Real cool Phish!!
Phish sucks when you’re not high. Fuck Virginia, I will be sure to get my hair cut before Bonnaroo..
You sir are a hater.
I thought I’d get flamed worse than that, should have put that up earlier hehe. All joking aside, you think the one environment that’d be safe to be a hippie at, and its V for Vendetta shit..
I watched the greatest bust of all time on saturday in the lot.The cops were writing a ticket to a guy for selling beer, and as they were putting away the ticket book, two kids walk up and ask them if they want any ecstasy.
Right next to my car. The kids selling dope in the lot were idiots, cops were everywhere. Kids were selling nitrous for $10 a balloon after the shows too. I hope every one of those greedy monneysucking lot rats that aren’t there for the show all end up in prison. On a positive note, all 3 shows were incredible, from fluffhead all the way to tweezer reprise. ANd I only paid face value for my tix.
Hey Assmodeus, you seem like a cocksucker, so why waste my time? Could’ve happened to you when you were just having a great time giving your boyfriend the reach around in the New Kids on The Block lot, you fucking faggot. Go get your fucking shinebox, you fucking custy.
And Joe: Done, and Done.
yes! Thanks. I’ve been trying to be more diplomatic lately since it’s my site but, I don’t get all the bullshit comments all over sites from kids fake-high on Wizard smoke talking about “The cops are our friends” and “Trey doesn’t do drugs” and bullshit. Straight edge Phish kids? “Real Phans are rich and fly there on their parents credit card, and never get busted because they believe in Jesus and love BLues Traveller” whatever. I’ve been really taken by surprise by some of the responses to this shit and heckling of those who got popped
That’s what gets me down about them putting those mugs out in the first place. A lot of glass houses got broken on the interwebs these past few days. Fool’s don’t realize that they could’ve been the one in the picture. But yo, Dead_C, now that you blew up my spot all over PT, you gotta make a post to “Free #19”. I mean my case is kind of heinous. I will knock down any fool on this board who brings that holier than thou shit. They’re a bunch of kettles calling all us pots black. Fuck all ya’ll. Dead_C, waiting on my post to “Free #19”. Think “Free Mumia”.
You’re gonna be waiting for a while. I’m still trying to work on organizing my questions for my Cris Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) interview. I actually posted this in the first place because I knew that no other site was going to give another perspective about the reality of what goes down with these busts. Everyone else was just gonna play the “They’re locking up the danger. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s safe to go back in the water” angle.
“Not quite safe to go back in the water” hmmm?…. maybe I should have used that title instead.
I bought crack from guy #2 … it was good !
Whoa!!! Number 12 totally looks like he SHOULD be there, lol. I’m sure he’s a nice person, but he looks like he bought that “Look like a Rapist” kit I saw on you tube. Oh man.
I wouldn’t be too “sure”
BLa bla bla bla i do drugs and got cought and in trouble. WAaa for you im not saying that everyone is alays honest but there are bad people in everything sports, law, food service. Get over it and stop breaking the dam law and here is a clew,,, dont have thousands of dollars in your pocket walking the streats or here is clew #2 dont have DRUGS in or on your person at any time im so sick of people complaining about the law doing there job.
Here’s a “clew” learn to fucking spell.
I think that you’re missing the point. Actually, I know that you’re missing the point but, thanks for visiting my site for some random reason, when you have no interest in the content that’s being provided here.
I hope that you really are “hot” Laura K., because you’re clearly an idiot. If you plan to survive, you’re definitely going to need to have something to offer up… even if it’s just a handjob.
Actually, I have just received information from a very reliable source, that “hotLaurak” is actually guy #12.He goes by the name ” Hot Karl” He’s out and he’s pissed. That’s not just poor spelling… it’s code. He wants all the bad guys from sports, law, and food service to form an alliance of evil custies. These “evil custies” plan to bust lot kids everywhere, capturing them and eventually making them all listen to Dave Matthews without nuggs. I guess he’s pissed cause some lot kid pissed on his sandwich in jail. I’m on to you “Hot Laura K”. Or, should I call you “Hot Karl”?
Now you’re all just being ridiculous.
Thanks for the great post about all these arrests. Like people have been saying and I agree is that number 12 looks out of place with these 25. I’m looking forward to reading a lot more of your site in the future.
funny shit