Three Students Arrested For Pot Possession in Md.

In an incident which sparked international media coverage, Albert Gore III ’05 and two other Harvard students were arrested over winter break for possession of marijuana.

On Dec. 19, Gore, the son of former Vice President Al Gore ’69, Yann V. Kumin ’04 and Marc G. Hordon ’05 were arrested in downtown Bethesda, Md.

An officer stopped Gore, who was driving, at around 11:30 p.m. after noticing that his headlights were off, according to Joyce M. Utter, Montgomery County Police spokersperson.

Utter said the officer saw the passenger in the back seat “making movements to conceal something.”

“As he approached the vehicle he detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside,” Utter said.

The officer also noticed that the sunroof and windows were open.

This was “another indication that something was wrong,” Utter said.

The officer asked Gore, Kumin and Hordon to exit the vehicle. Gore gave consent for a vehicle search, during which the officer found a marijuana cigarette, Utter said.

The officer also found a box with “a green leafy substance” which field tested positive for marijuana, according to Utter.

The three were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor.

They were released pending their trials, which Utter said will be held on Feb. 4.

The maximum punishment for possession of marijuana is a fine of up to $1000 and a year in the county correctional facility, according to Utter.

It is unclear whether Hordon, a baseball player for Harvard, will be punished by the athletic department.

He was out last season due to a shoulder injury.

Harvard Coach Joe Walsh said he has not yet talked to Hordon and could not comment on any potential punishments.

“I’m not going to jump to any conclusions until he’s in my office and we sit here,” Walsh said. “All I want right now is to see him eyeball to eyeball.”

According to the NCAA Manual, a student is “ineligible from further participation” in a sport for one year after testing positive on a drug test.

According to Utter, the students were not tested for drugs at the time of their arrests.

Director of Compliance for Harvard’s athletic department Nathan Fry could not be reached for comment.

Gore and Kumin declined comment, and Hordon could not be reached for comment.

In September 2002, Gore was ticketed by military police in Virginia for driving under the influence.

In August of 2000, he was arrested for speeding at almost 100 mph in North Carolina. During a court hearing that November, Gore pled guilty to speeding. A reckless driving charge was dropped, and he was ordered to pay a $125 fine.

—Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.

—Staff writer Hera A. Abbasi can be reached at abbasi@fas.harvard.edu