Arrest of nearly 70 people at party 'incredible waste of resources,' legal analyst says

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — A district attorney is trying to figure out how to proceed with a case where police arrested nearly 70 people at a house party for less than an ounce of marijuana and cocaine.

Bartow County District Attorney Rosemary Greene told Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes that she's waiting on a report from the Bartow County Drug Task Force so they can either drop the charges or figure out if all 70 people will be charged.

“What an incredible waste of resources, to take almost 70 people into custody and process them for what could only reasonably have belonged to 1 or 2 people,” Channel 2 legal analyst Esther Panitch said.

Panitch said she was shocked when they found out that Cartersville police arrested nearly 70 people at a home where they were attending a 21st birthday party on New Year's Eve.

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“I’m wondering if any race played a role in it because on its face it seems ridiculous,” Panitch said.

Police sent Fernandes a photo of the evidence that was confiscated in the home on Cain Drive in Cartersville that night.

Along with the small amount of drugs, police said they also collected three firearms.

Two college students told Fernandes that two of the guns in the photo are theirs. Their attorney showed Fernandes their gun licenses and permits for the weapons.

The third gun belonged to the owner of the home. She told Fernandes it was locked up in her attic because she rented her home that weekend through AirBnB.

Police said they were never called to the actual party and that someone called and reported gunshots in the area.

While they were canvassing the neighborhood, they said they smelled marijuana and called for backup. However, police will not comment on the arrests right now.

“People aren’t treated the same and this is an obvious example,” Panitch said.

None of the people arrested have had a court date yet. They're all just waiting on word from the district attorney. Some people have already lost their jobs for the arrest alone.

Cox Media Group