ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - A University of Georgia professor is accused of asking a student to buy prescription drugs for him while the student vacationed in Mexico during spring break.
University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said Charles Eugene Lance, a psychology professor, has been placed on administrative suspension.
Arrest warrants show that Lance faces a charge of criminal attempt to obtain a dangerous drug through fraudulent means.
The ordeal began last month, during a class Lance taught, when he and the students were talking about plans for the upcoming spring break, Williamson tells The Athens Banner-Herald (https://bit.ly/1eYGfh6 ).
When the professor requested that the student buy him the drug while in Mexico, the students laughed, the chief said. But when the student later dropped off a paper at Lance’s office, he said he was serious about the request, Williamson said.
“He said he wasn’t playing around and wrote down the name of the drug and gave her money to buy the drug,” Williamson said.
The professor “placed her in a bad spot, because she was thinking how it might affect her academically if she refused him,” Williamson added. “He also placed her in the position of getting in trouble with authorities in Mexico and the United States.”
Authorities haven’t disclosed the name of the drug.
Police say the student told another faculty member, which led to discussions between university administrators and legal staff, Williamson said.
Police say they’ve been in contact with the professor’s attorney in an effort to arrange for him to surrender to police at the Clarke County Jail.
Phone and email messages to the professor from The Associated Press were not immediately returned Friday morning.
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Information from: Athens Banner-Herald, https://www.onlineathens.com
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