State troopers suspended for Bill Elliott helicopter ride

<p>Two Georgia State Patrol troopers were suspended without pay for giving NASCAR driver Bill Elliott a ride in a helicopter that was part of a marijuana search in north Georgia.</p><p>Cpl. Kevin Coalson, the pilot, was suspended for three days last week, and Lt. Eddie Williams began a six-day suspension Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.</p><p>On June 29, Coalson and Williams spent two hours shuttling Elliott from his home in Dawsonville, where he had dropped off an airplane, back to Blairsville, where Elliott's car was parked. During the flight, Elliott, a licensed helicopter pilot, took controls of the surplus military aircraft, which was intended only for law enforcement.</p><p>Meanwhile, members of the Gov.'s Task Force on Drug Suppression waited for details about the location of marijuana fields spotted from the air.</p><p>The newspaper said the troopers could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but according to investigative files, they said they didn't know there was anything wrong with giving Elliott a ride.</p><p>"What bothers me is some of the comments by the pilots that they didn't know what the rules were," Public Safety Commissioner Col. George Ellis said.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2865868)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/11/156997