breaking Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps could face criminal charges following the publication of a photograph purportedly showing him smoking marijuana, The State newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina reported on Tuesday. A South Carolina law enforcement official said he would charge Phelps if he could prove the US Olympian smoked marijuana in his county. “This case is no different than any other case,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told The State. Lott's comments come after a British newspaper published a photograph purportedly showing Phelps smoking marijuana at a party being held by students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia in November. Columbia, the South Carolina state capital, is located in Richland County. “This one might be a lot easier since we have photographs of someone using drugs and a partial confession. It's a relatively easy case once we can determine where the crime occurred.” Phelps apologized on Sunday after publication of the photograph by the News of the World, calling his behavior “inappropriate.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it accepted his apology and US officials said the news was disappointing but stressed that smoking marijuana out of competition was not an anti-doping matter. Both the University of South Carolina and Columbia police departments have said they would not pursue charges against Phelps, The State said. One of Phelps' agents, Drew Johnson, said on Tuesday authorities had not contacted the swimmer. “So we really can't speculate,” he said. Under South Carolina law, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $200 and 30 days in jail for the first offense. Possession of paraphernalia is a $500 fine. Meanwhile, another of Phelps's big-name sponsors – credit-payment processor Visa Inc. – said it supports him. “We have spoken with Michael, and he has expressed regret for the situation, has committed to being accountable and improving his judgment in the future,” Visa said. “We intend to support him as he looks to move forward.” On Monday, sponsors including apparel company Speedo, luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega and sports beverage PureSport's maker Human Performance Labs also said they stand behind the athlete, even if they don't condone his behavior. Some of Phelps sponsors still weren't commenting on Tuesday. A spokeswoman at Kellogg Co. said the cereal maker declined to comment. The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes. __
