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Supporters speak out for indicted environmentalist
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Members of Harford County’s environmentalist community lined up behind Bigfoot hunter Robert Chance, who is awaiting trial on charges of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
Chance, a former Bel Air town commissioner, teacher, environmental educator and keeper of Bigfoot lore, was indicted last month after a police search of his house recovered suspected marijuana plants and hallucinogenic mushrooms — enough to charge him with intent to distribute, according to State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly.
“He’s done a lot more good than bad, if that’s all he’s done,” said Tom Close of Bel Air, who said he had worked both alongside and against Chance as a real estate developer. “I don’t think he’d ever distribute anything.”
Chance declined to comment, but his attorney, Gus Brown, said any plants the police recovered in their May 12 search appeared to be immature and had yet to be tested and confirmed as marijuana.
Lynn Mullins, who said she and her son participated in a nature camp run by Chance last summer, expressed surprise that the state was pursuing charges against him.
“I think the charges are a bad use of resources,” she said. “Bob Chance is not the kind of person who would put anybody at risk, or put the community at risk. His entire life has been spent in service of the community.”
Chance had been a Bel Air town commissioner in the late 1970s, helped create Harford County’s first recycling center, and has made a hobby of collecting stories and evidence of Bigfoot appearances in Maryland.
Some speculated the alleged presence of marijuana was related to Chance’s struggles with cancer and efforts to ease the pain. Maryland does not have laws permitting “medicinal” marijuana, but doctors use an FDA-approved synthetic version called Marinol to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and lack of appetite.
Because the investigation was ongoing, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office could not release information on how much was seized from Chance’s Darlington tree farm and nursery, but Cassilly said the “intent to distribute” charges stemmed from the quantity of contraband, not the presence of money or packaging materials.
Chance is scheduled for an arraignment July 8.
msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Examiner Reader said:
There are laws & laws were broken.Simple as that.Bob Chance has been breaking drug laws for decades, sharing them with the minors he taught & who volunteered at the recycling center.Those who state he did not harm anyone should explore what this exposure led to in these young peoples' lives. Sure, he was a good Ecology teacher & did a fine thing by awakening the community to recycling.This does not justify him breaking the law, especially where this influenced youth.Some have written the police should leave him alone & pursue child molesters.This is interesting since he is certainly guilty of that as well. You 'supporters' just see a friend in trouble & in your loyalty rant about what else the police should be concerned with.As the saying goes "even a broken clock is right twice a day".There are good deeds.But listing those does not erase the bad.And he's done some mightily bad things to some young, innocent children.And if this is the way he pays then Wonderful!Let justice prevail.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Could think of a better use of my tax dollars, ah, say rounding up all the illegal immigrants that are surfacing in Harford County lately! Give the man a break!
1 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I am a former student of Chance and I know through personal experience with him that he has inspired and captivated the minds of many. Without teachers like Bob Chance, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the natural environment we live in and love it and take care of it so well. He did show Harford County(that by the way is the leading county around in recycling productivity)how to reuse our wasted bottles,cans and paper by building one of the first recycling centers in our nation. He's cared about our environment and continues to clean roads like Route 1. And he's a tree farmer trying to earn a modest, humble living after teaching in Harford County for over 30 years. So how has he harmed us? I think he's taught us many lessons of how to appreciate and love Harford County. Yes marijuana is illegal here, but did you here anything about Chance harming anyone? He's a person too, with baggage like many of us. I say give him relief and let him be. Sincerely, a Former Student
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Another Huferd Outsider said:
How sadly true the comments below are!I've paid taxes in Harford Co. for decades & am still shocked @ what's allowed to go on.Cops stop one of their own for drunken driving & proceed to park his car n drive him home w/o charging him!But they sit in Jarrettsville every nite harassing transients,ticketing for exceeding the school zone speed limit in the middle of the nite!Yet 18 wheelers illegally use the same & other roads here daily w/o penalty!You can bet the "Good Ol' Locals" family farms haven't been scrutinized for illegal growth,raids or seizures!The last time you read of THAT happening?NEVER!The sad fact of the matter is we can meet a variety of needs in the Harford community,just don't be arrogant enough to pretend you belong here if your lineage doesn't go wayyy back!THAT was Chance's crime in the eyes of the locals.Hope his lawyer contacts the State's Attorney & asks for an investigation of who is charged w/what here,"where they come from" & their sentence.Double stan
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
And the REAL question is,if Chance had been "Born n raised in Huferd Cownty,n so wuz his Daddy,n his Daddy's daddy,n.."if any of this phoney concern by Harford County "Law Enforcement" would've materialized!His crime is he offended "the locals" by spending decades of his life preserving and protecting the environment of a county he wasn't born in!!!!!!God Forbid!!THAT OUTSIDER gotta lotta nerve!The Pettiness of Personal Politics comes home to river city.Now the cops spend weeks more padding their case n CYA'ing while still not chasing the drunk drivers,routing gang crime,etc.OH,but don't exceed the speed limit @ night in the school zone in "Downtown Jarrettsville".They've got that smothered,'cause all they have to do is stumble out of the station house down the street & nap behind the school sign until the radar alarm goes off!7 days a week,our tax dollars at waste!You should be real proud Mr. Craig,of how our good $$ are bogusly wasted in your domain[and no,I've never been tic
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Carrie A. said:
P.S. Way to take out the 62 year old man growing pot on his private property...maybe now we can focus on the murderers, child molesters, gangs, rapists etc........ way to prioritize !!!!!
7 agree | 2 disagree
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Carrie A. said:
Is the issue that he had it on his property, was selling it or what ?? As far as I am concerned, it should be legalized...then the gov. couldn't complain because it would just be something else they could tax.
0 agree | 1 disagree
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Disgusted Examiner Reader said:
The way we should help this man is to enroll him in classes in jail to learn the meaning of "illegal". Which came first - the reduced ability to understand the difference between right and wrong or the pot smoking? As a former student of Chance's I can't say that I am surprised. He never quite seemed to be all there when he was "teaching" us. As a former educator, the best lesson he can pass on to us is that if you do the crime, you do the time. The fact that he was an elected official, a teacher, and a community leader means that he should have been setting a better example than the average person, and should therefore get no special treatment when facing these charges. You should have done your homework, Bob.
10 agree | 9 disagree
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Prohibition Activist said:
Is there anything we can do to help this man? National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Policy Project, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, Drug Policy Alliance, and Americans for Safe Access, where the heck are you people? This man is obviously not a threat to society, he is a victim of a failed drug policy of decades.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This arrest is a shame, and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Genuine victimless crime.
10 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
how in the hell are these tree hugging wackos going to get their pot to come up with more wacko ideas on how to stifle economic progress and put animals and insects above man?
3 agree | 4 disagree
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CMW 87 said:
1971 BAHS Grad; Oh yea, like Chance is runing 95 and brining it in on boats from columbia. Big drug lord, Get a clue man!!!
6 agree | 4 disagree
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Parkville Bob2 said:
I've been to a number of social events @ Bob's as well as seeing him out and about in the area.Over these many decades,I've never seen him use or appear to be under the influence of any illegal substance[s].He's never in all that time smelled of marijuana or had any other peculiar odor of substance.During the many functions I've attended @ his house all the doors to all of the rooms are always open.Nobody sneaks off for secret meetings or exchanges,and nothing illegal is used!I've been paying taxes in Harford County for 35 years.I haven't seen or heard of a breatholizer checkpoint for a very long time now,yet my hard earned money can be wasted "tracking" an environmentalist farmer while our lives continue to be threatened by drunks running us off the roads & gangs continuing to wreak havoc by being more organized & less threatened by "law enforcement".Bogus "busts" like Chance's keep cops lives from being endangered while chasing real criminals.THEIR alibi-"not enough manpower"
8 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yes, let's take away his farm and his house. That will surely teach him a lesson. Is there anyone here quick enough with numbers to tally up the cost of undercover surveillance for a month or so, preparation of a search warrant and subsequent raid and prosecution of the pot smoker? I, for one, would rather my tax dollars be spent on some bigger social ill than prosecuting to the fullest extent a 60-year-old farmer with cancer.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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me said:
Were my comments removed because it did not support Bob? IF so why have this if you are going to reject comments that are not in favor Bob. Now who is restricting my free speach?
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Unanimous Reader said:
How does it appear that he is "willing to accept that fact" that he is guilty of something? Where has he made a statement other than his lawyer saying the plants "appeared to be immature and had yet to be tested and confirmed as marijuana". Being willing to accept the fact would involve admitting that he did have the pot and the mushrooms and pleading guilty. The situation is not at that stage yet, but we will see what facts he accepts when that time comes.
5 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Another example of how the "war on Drugs" is ruining lives. Bob Chance is a great guy he is kind, knowledgeable and over all a nice guy. With all the problems that Harford County is having with gangs, violence, and crack cocaine its good to see that the police and the states attorney can use the bust of Mr. Chance as a way of "putting dope on the table" and showing that the "war on Drugs" is "working."
5 agree | 2 disagree
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A. Turnbull said:
Bob Chance was a positive influence on school childern. He gave then a wonderlust for nature, a love to explore the unknown. He was indeed human and made wrong choices sometimes, but didn't we all? Let's not kick a man when he's down. Appreciate the good that he has done.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The man is guilty of something and appears willing to accept that fact - but to characterize, much less prosecute him as a drug manufacturer and distributor and public nuisance is a true injustice. A hefty fine, probation, community service, maybe some jail time, but taking a guys farm and his house for having a bag of shrooms and some pot for him and his buddies? Outrageous
2 agree | 4 disagree
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Name is blank said:
So...you never took a sugar packet from the diner or jaywaled across a street? CONS need to realize THEY can't pick and choose whoch laws to ENFORCE either. works both ways.
1 agree | 3 disagree
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King said:
...even funnier are comment like this one, completey devoid of any intelligence. "Liberals seem to thank that the laws apply to everyone but them" Sir, I will refer you to the US Congress to prove your arguement false. LOl...liberlas....pa-leese...you CONS are just as guilty if not more so.
0 agree | 2 disagree
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King said:
The fact remains that these laws are immoral and waste of resaources. I love how GOP clowns like to start off with an ignorant insult to make some dramatic entrance. Some of the most conservative thick-headed adults I know smoke more dope than a 16-year old.
1 agree | 3 disagree
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Unanimous Reader said:
The sad part is that Bob will probably walk. I'm embarrassed to read that supposed leaders of our community think that the rules apply to some people but not others. If the man has pot and mushrooms, he should be punished. The fact that he was smoking dope and running camps with kids should not be looked at as a good thing. Would these supporters be so supportive if their neighbor was busted in a similar manner? Thank God he is no longer in the school system.
6 agree | 4 disagree
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Law and order said:
Liberals seem to thank that the laws apply to everyone but them.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
god, what the do gooders will try to influence next. this man is guilty. now cancer, and this and that, hang em high. didn't parretta once say if you can't do the time don't do the crime. no exceptions.
4 agree | 9 disagree
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The Undertaker said:
Stand up against these immoral drug laws and scumbag drug warriors. Vote for Libertarians and "Ron Paul Republicans" in the fall.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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The Undertaker said:
He is stocking up in case he gets sick again. Leave the guy alone. Joe Cassilly should be sent to jail before this guy is.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Not in the least confused. said:
You liberals seem to think that the law applies to everyone but you.
2 agree | 0 disagree
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1970 BAHS Grad said:
If he was growing pot for "other 60 year olds;" that's distribution, dude. It makes no difference if money change hands or not. If you pass a joint to another person, that's distribution. You freaking tree-hugging liberals make me puke.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Police got a tip - likely from someone looking to reduce his or her own jailtime - and salivated at the prospect of having their names and pictures taken in front of a 5-acre field of pot growing on Bob's farm. Unfortunately for them, the tipster must have oversold his story and the police didn't find much - but to justify the surveillance and search warrant and undercover work they have to forge ahead with these charges. Bob Chance was growing a little pot for him and a half-dozen other 60-year-olds to got high on once a month out on his barn. Wow. The travesty. How many people were murdered this week a few miles away in Edgewood? Oh yeah, only one this week - that is if the other guy in Shock Trauma is still alive. I'd like to see someone take a closer look at just WHY police are driving so hard at taking Bob Chance down.
12 agree | 5 disagree
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1971 BAHS Grad said:
CMW 87; Chance was busted for possession with intent to distribute. That doesn't make him a "little guy."
5 agree | 0 disagree
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CMW 87 said:
I knew Mr Chance from science class and being poped for smoking. Sometimes we screw up and sometimes other people screw it up for us. Either way he taught us and helped to build a stronger communitiy for all of us. What i do know about him says all i need to know. Go after the real crime and the real drugs that are killing and making people kill. Thats what the law should be going after only they can't catch them so they try to make themselves look better by roughing up on some little guy! And by the way where are they when you realy need them anyway. Never when you need them, always when you don't. McC
3 agree | 6 disagree
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1970 BAHS Grad said:
It's also funny that the Examiner, a supposedly conservatice news source, refered to Chance as a "bigfoot hunter" instead of credititing him as a 30 year retired teacher. The Examiner is becoming as slanted as THE SUN.
11 agree | 1 disagree
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1970 BAHS Grad said:
The crazy thing is that it makes the front page NOW, but back then, it didn't make a blip on the radar.
6 agree | 0 disagree
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another former BAHS student said:
Several of us thought he was a pothead way back when we had him in high school, and I found him to be one of the worst teachers I ever had. He only respected your opinion if you went along with his kooky bigfoot crap, and he seemed to pay a good deal more attention to the female students than to the male ones. I'm just saying. You can try the 'medicinal marijuana' alibi, but 'medicinal mushrooms' is a new one to me. If he is convicted, I hope he is removed from the Harford County Public School Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2001.
16 agree | 2 disagree
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former BAHS student class 1979 said:
gee I find that really hard to believe. I knew Mr Chance from when I was in high school and he does do alot of the community and was a fantastic teacher. I agree go after the real bad guys you know the one's packing guns and who wouyld shoot ya as soon look at you. The real drug dealers. Not a great teacher and somme one who has given so much !
5 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If this guy's not a drug dealer, than he's at the very least, a pot head. Remember, not all weed dealers are Black, Male, wear white T-shirts and/or stand on a corner in the hood all day. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might be a duck.
12 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This story exemplifies why the Examiner is a sub-par rag trying desperately to sell papers through bogus headlines. The headline makes it sound like he had a crystal meth lab in his house. Bob Chance has done a tremendous service to Harford County through his efforts with the recycling center and Harford Glen program.
5 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bob Chance was a fantastic teacher and did some great things for the communitiy!
5 agree | 11 disagree
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Not in the least confused. said:
What you don't know about Bob Chance would surprise you.
14 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I find it very hard to believe that Bob Chance would intend to "distribute" anything. How about fighting some real crime, people? Bob has given a lot to this community.
9 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I'd much rather the police (and Mr. Cassilly) went after bad people.
11 agree | 16 disagree
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