Councilman who pleaded to cocaine possession says he will seek re-election, was in wrong place at wrong time

TUSCALOOSA, Al.

Kip Tyner

Tuscaloosa City Councilman Kip Tyner says that despite his arrest for cocaine possession last December, he will not resign from his council seat and will seek re-election in 2013.
Tyner said Tuesday night the arrest was "humiliating" and said that knowing he was not in possession of drugs, he was embarrassed because he was in a household where there were drugs.

He  said it was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The report says that the C.L.E.A.N. program has tested him for drugs and he has been clean each time.

Tyner was released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $18,000 bond after an arrest on drug charges including cocaine possession in December.

The councilman entered a guilty plea Dec. 30 and enrolled in a pretrial diversion program called C.L.E.A.N. where he will undergo drug tests and possible drug treatment (under court supervision) as well as serve community service hours and pay court costs.

Tyner was charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia. As part of his guilty plea, the conviction will be wiped from his record if he successfully completes the program.