Fike arrested, charged with drug possesion

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

Fike arrested, charged with drug possesion

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

More from Nascar.com:

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/truck/07/09/afike.drug.charges/index.html

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

UPDATE 2: A judge released both of them [Fike & finace, Cassandra Davidson] on their own recognizance. Fike will return to court on July 19 for a preliminary hearing.(WCPO-ABC TV)(7-10-2007)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Nascar.com:

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/truck/07/11/afike.released.ap/index.html

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

More from Nascar.com:

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/truck/09/20/afike.court.appearance.ap/index.html

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

BY JANICE MORSE

LEBANON The arrest of a NASCAR driver on drug charges may have at least temporarily tanked his promising career, but he says it probably saved his life and inspired him to put together an anti-drug program dubbed Racing Against Drugs.

Aaron Fike, arrested last summer after he and his girlfriend were caught with heroin at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, says hes serious about reviving his career.

Hes using his status to start a program to combat drug abuse among young people.

One day, I was a NASCAR race car driver, with people asking me for my autograph and the next day, I was in handcuffs, lying on the floor of a jail cell, going through the absolute agony of heroin withdrawal, Fike, 24, wrote in a statement prepared for a court hearing. After four months of intense rehabilitation, I know that if it were not for my arrest, I would be dead.

During one of his drug highs, Fike once stopped breathing and nearly died, his statement says, adding, sooner or later, my luck would have run out.

As part of a plea deal that his lawyer, Charlie Rittgers of Lebanon, worked out, Fike avoided a jail sentence and felony conviction by pledging to start the non-profit group.

The judge did something kind of creative with him, with our permission, said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel.

Under the deal that Judge Neal Bronson accepted this month, Fike pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors possession of a drug abuse instrument and a reduced charge of attempted possession of heroin.

Last month, Bronson granted Fikes 22-year-old fiancée and crew member, Cassandra Davidson, treatment in lieu of a conviction.

Fike is still undergoing drug treatment, Rittgers said. NASCAR suspended him indefinitely from racing after his arrest.

Bronson sentenced Fike to two years of probation and ordered him to follow through with his plan for establishing Racing Against Drugs.

In Fikes proposal, he says he will:

- Set up a Racing Against Drugs tent, including anti-drug displays and resources for addicts, at each NASCAR track.

- Give a motivational speech each day he is at the track, talking about the importance of remaining drug-free.

- Display anti-drug logos or ads on his racing vehicle.

- Mention the program during every news media interview.

Fike couldnt be reached for comment for this story.

The fans consider the drivers to be heroes, his statement says. This gives me the opportunity to try to influence these young people in a positive way.

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

More from Nascar.com:

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/truck/11/28/bc.car.fike.heroin/index.html

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

Former racer Fike admits using heroin on race days: Suspended NASCAR driver Aaron Fike now admits that he not only secretly struggled with drug addiction for years but also shot up heroin on some race days. In his first in-depth interview since being arrested for heroin possession last summer, the 25-year-old said he had been using heroin for eight months and suffered from a dependency on painkillers for six years before that. In the weeks prior to his arrest, his once-a-week experiment with heroin had become a daily routine, including the days he was competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR officials, when informed of Fike's admission, said the league has kept an eye on the more proactive random drug testing policies recently ramped up by the "Big Four" major league sports but point to the list of recent suspensions as proof that the current policy is working. "No system is perfect," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications. "Our current policy has served us extremely well. We do have discussions from time to time regarding possible alternatives, so I wouldn't rule those out. But I think what our policy has allowed us to do up to this certain point in time, it has served us well." Fike said he hopes that his admissions will force NASCAR officials to rethink their current drug testing policy. Fike has returned to USAC's Midget series, where he is tested upon arrival at the track. He is currently serving a two-year probation and continues rehabilitation and counseling. Later this month he will launch www.onthewinningtrack.com as part of his court-agreed youth drug education program. He has also talked briefly with NASCAR officials about beginning the arduous reinstatement process, but realizes that his once-promising stock car career may be over.(ESPN)(4-9-2008)