by Mitch Talley on May 8, 2012
A Corvette once associated with a drug dealer is now helping Bartlett, Tennessee police teach youngsters about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
The 1999 model has been adorned with patriotic decals as part of the DARE program, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, which aims to show fourth and fifth graders how to keep peer pressure from making them succumb to drugs and alcohol.
The car, which no doubt grabs the attention of youngsters, features a statement on the back that alerts them that if they use their Corvette, or any vehicle, for that matter, that they could lose that car if caught with illegal contraband.
“It says: ‘Seized From a Drug Offender,’ ” Assistant Police Chief Glen Williamson said. “There’s no other way of reading that. Kids relate to materialistic things. … But you can’t keep it if you get caught with drugs..”
In its previous illicit life, the Corvette was red, seized as part of a drug probe in November 2010. Cops found 726 grams of marijuana in another car and 148 more grams in a second car, then discovered 99.4 grams of pot in the suspect’s bedroom. Tests revealed that the Corvette had been used to transport and sell marijuana, thus making it eligible to be seized.
School resource officers in charge of DARE courses in Bartlett are getting to drive the car as part of the course.
“No matter where I go in that thing, I have to drive the speed limit,” Williamson said. “When I’ve driven it, I’ve had several whoops and hollers.”
By the way, the work on the Corvette was paid for by drug forfeiture funds, not city taxes.
Source:
CommercialAppeal.com
Photo Credit: Mike Brown