The Times Union is reporting that Nilas Martins was charged with felony cocaine possession in Saratoga. Here's the link:

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp...wsdate=7/4/2007

[ADMIN BEANIE ON]

Please remember the board rules when responding to this article. If there is news or speculation that hasn't been published, please don't post about it here.

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I wish Nilas a quick, fair and compassionate resolution to this predicament.

It is also in the The Saratogan.

I'm speechless.

Goodness. How unfortunate.

At least he's in good company. Al Gore III just got busted for alleged pot and prescription pills possession. The stars must be favoring police officers these days.

Saratoga seems a hard-luck town for dancers named Martins.

In the NY Post:

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/sto...mp;SECTION=HOME

Anyone know what Felony Possession is? I believe NYS has minimum sentencing (Rockefeller drug laws).

I hope Nilas gets whatever help necessary to get through these trying times.


I hope the company will offer discrete detox for other dancers with their addictions.

Isn't that making an assumption that there are other dancers similarly addicted?

Unfortunate that he apparently has a problem, or unfortunate that he was caught?

unfortunate in every possible way.

::Donning Mod's Beanie::

Yes, and doesn't the word "other" deny Nilas his presumption of innocence? Let's be careful here.

Thanks!

::Doffing Mod's Beanie::

and I hope that Nilas will take responsibility for his actions and problem (should one exist). It's quite sad, considering the ambitious schedule announced for Nilas' new company. (I know there's a thread on the board, but not sure where it is.)

This information was in the Police Beat section of the paper on Wednesday, and is a front page headline article in today's Saratogian.

Substance abuse is nothing new in this company or any other, and it continues to be an issue.

The company performed beautifully, despite very wet conditions..
I'll try to post here when schedule allows: soon I hope.

Similarly, possession does not involve a presumption of "addiction." Let's wait for the facts to emerge -- and take special care with our choice of words.

I would also add to the cautionary remarks above that drug use doesn't necessarily and automatically mean 'abuse' or 'addiction.'

i wrote something here that i was not happy with so i've removed it.



Mod's note: That settled, for readers' ease and comfort, here is the deleted copy:


I would go so far as to say that substance abuse is nothing new in any segment of any population and that to intimate drug use in any particular place specifically is in many ways both an invasion of privacy and pointless speculation.

Moderators if that is too harsh please feel free to edit or make it disappear.

Not at all harsh, pmeja. Exactly to the point.

no problem then if it's all right with you.

Was anyone else as surprised as I was by the information that Nilas is forty years old?

i can't say i'd ever thought much about how old he was, but given his dad's age and that he seems to have been the child of peter's youth, it not too surprising. that number has quite a punch in print, though, doesn't it?

No, Farrell Fan, because I only read Peter Martins's book 2 years ago, and recall that early on, not quite 20 he says 'I wanted to be a father.' I thought that was unusual for someone already living in a very disciplined environment such as the Royal Danish Ballet. So that by the time we find him first appearing at NYCB, and doing those first few performances with Farrell, he's been a father for some years already while still quite young. In any case, it may be nothing unusual, but I often thought about it because he did not explain it in any detail when he was talking about his early marriage.

Now that I think about it, yes, before I read the book I did think Nilas was younger, perhaps 5 years younger.

well a quick google shows that peter was born october 27, 1946 and that nilas joined nycb in 1986. i hadn't realized how long he had been there.

I had that same reaction. One knew he was about that age, of course, but seeing the big four-oh in print did stand out for some reason.

I would suggest a really, really good defense attorney, the NYS drug laws are a prosecutor's dream, and precedent has made them very, very easy to convict on.

The lowest applicable law in this case would be "possession in the fifth degree", which carries a prison term of not more than seven years; there is no minimum sentence by statute. It's a D felony, and 500 milligrams is the minimum amount required to establish guilt. Sentencing guidelines are largely by precedent, and the draconian level of punishments has a significant number of state legislators concerned about the overcrowding of prisons thanks to the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Somewhere in Manhattan there is a hotshot criminal attorney whose daughter's braces, as well as her first two years of college, are now paid for.

I was very suprised to see the wednesday Saratogian, as well as today's Times Union, print what is apparently his home address. As he's not been convicted of anything I found it shocking that such information would be published in the local paper. Today's Saratogian front page above-the-fold headline certainly seems to be going for the sensationalist approach, and they are listing "intent to sell" which I did not see in any other articles (and did not hear when the story came up on the radio this morning on my way to dance- this news really seems to be spreading!). I believe that's still covered under 5th degree possession, but I don't know if that would be likely to affect sentencing if there is a conviction. I'd hate to see him locked away for the rest of the time he has on stage if he gets one of the harsher sentences.

I missed seeing him in Apollo last night. As I obviously don't know the full situation I hope he gets his name cleared or gets help if necessary, and I wish for a quick return to the stage as the Saratoga season is so short.

The Saratogian and Times Union have little readership (as a rule) outside their small markets. It may not have occurred to the police reporters or their editors that, in this electronic age, word would spread fast and wide, and some details might not be absolutely necessary.

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/cji/4-Former...5/220-06(1).pdf

Here's a link describing the charge, which must mean that 'intent to sell' just is part of the way the law is written. I wouldn't have known that any sort of 'possession' automatically included 'intent to sell', since it doesn't follow logically, outside of how it must follow logically within the way the law is written. Obviously, in a 'not guilty' plea, the accused does not say anything as far along as that particular intent; so that even if the basic charge of possession turns out to be true (we may know something by tomorrow, maybe not), it's hard to imagine there being a literal 'intent to sell' in whatever transpired.

If it goes to Jury trial, he would want a local lawyer to defend him. Upstate is considered the poorest state in the nation. There is a lot of animosity to "down-staters" The Manhattan lawyers can work behind the scenes.

I suspect a plea bargain will be arranged, Saratoga needs the jobs NYCB brings each summer. Last thing Saratoga needs is reputation of artist harassment.

The key to a plea bargain is to keep it out of the papers, Paris Hilton went to jail due to her name and publicity.

A half gram of cocaine is the equivalent of about half a packet of Sweet 'n Low. The idea of anyone in possession of that small amount with intent to sell is ludicrous.

There were two people in the car. Down the line it may (or may not) become clear who was the owner of the packet. But, under New York State's Nelson Rockefeller era laws, that doesn't matter. It is the owner of the "property" (in this case the vehicle) who is held responsible.

I think it's very interesting that, given the absence of any solid news on the topic, and our culture (on BT) of no unsanctioned/unofficial/unattributed/etc statements, we are fixing on the minutae of the possible legal penalties for that particular crime.... when, I suspect, we'd really like to be discussing what really happened, is he guilty, from whence came this habit, (if it is one) and most important, what will happen to him, his father, the company, his role in the company, etc. etc. (And let it be known henceforth that I do not wish ill to any of the above.)

I know it's true for me....I am just bursting with questions.

However, I know from past experience (the Saratoga SLAP, so to speak) that our interpretations, hopes, superimpositions, wonderings, and fears can all turn out to be more than miles away from the truth. And I wonder if that will ever come out.

Absolutely, and I'm sure e-mails are flying in all directions and phone calls doing whatever their equivalent is. But please keep in mind the extremely public nature of this forum, and the ease with which someone's speculation, perhaps written a bit too hastily, can seem like a statement of fact and zip through the worldwide web.

Again, I urge caution.

Thanks.

The Saratogian, and to a larger extent, the Times-Union are habituated to reporting the peccadillos of various and sundry state legislators and department heads, and publishing their addresses so that the constituents can give the accused hell. We have to remember that the Rocky drug laws are actually badly written. Possession 5 goes straight to Possession 7 because Possession 6 was found unconstitutional! I know a couple of very conservative judges who consider the Rocky laws shackles on juries and themselves, and they can't be alone.

No matter how the law is slanted, let's remember that an accused is innocent unless and until proved guilty.

Nilas entered a Not Guilty plea and will not perform for the remainder of the Saratoga season, according to the PostStar of Glens Falls, NY:

QUOTE

The attorney for New York City Ballet dancer Nilas Martins said he will be seeking an adjournment of his client ’s case until the conclusion of test results at a State Police lab.
. . .

"The company regards this as a private, though serious, matter, "the [company's official] statement reads. "Consistent with company policy, Mr. Martins will not be appearing in upcoming performances in Saratoga."

A crucial element in the level of seriousness of the charges against Martins is the amount of "pure weight"� of the controlled substance that is in the white powder, said Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III.

Felony charges, punishable by up to seven years in jail, are applicable to "pure"� weight measures of one-half gram or above; a misdemeanor charge applies to lesser amounts.

Sadly enough, the aforementioned article ends this way:

why is that sad to you? he isn't accused or charged.

Because it can't be a positive thing for him or his career (at least in the short run) to be associated with the situation.

i disagree, i think that's jumping the gun. he hasn't been implicated and i think it's a misstatement to assume that anyone would make him suffer either directly or indirectly. let's put it this way: would you hold it against him? would you look at him differently? would you tell people not to go to his performances? would you assume the new york city ballet would make him suffer in terms of casting or anything else in a situation where he had done nothing? if they did he would have a cause of action against his employer. as in everything, as long as he behaves himself honorably he shouldn't be subject to such speculation. and sometimes the temptation to imply can be as poisonous as the reality since some seem to find it so seductive.

not to mention that right now, for instance, nilas martins is suffering and he hasn't been proven guilty of anything yet! so i'm naive,...but that's the case.

And after all, "Police would neither confirm nor deny whether Ramasar is the dancer with the same name listed on the NYCB Web site." For all we know, there are a dozen or more Amar Ramasars in Saratoga at this time.

Sorry to inject the above note of levity, but only a police mentality would make a statement so cautious.

hey a properly placed note of levity is a good thing!

Sorry to be politically incorrect but Nilas Martins of late has struck me as being a rather bland dancer with a stodgy physique, cocaine causes weight loss and euphoria and manic behavior. I have seen no evidence of its use on his dancing!!!

A brilliant defense! "Of course he's innocent, just watch him dance!"

As a matter of fact, I know several there myself!

Right you are. He picked an Albany lawyer. http://www.esjlaw.com/toc.htm

[moderator beanie on]

Let's keep the schadenfreude in check folks.

[moderator beanie off]

Word of the Day!

schadenfreude \SHOD-n-froy-duh\, noun:

A malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others.

LOL! Nice to find a bit of levity in the middle of a serious situation. "The-Amar-Who-Is-a-Dancer" happens to be a special fave of mine. Ouch...

UGH! A PI Lawyer?! He will need a criminal defense attorney! I guess the Manhattan lawyers will take the train up to defend the accused. PI lawyers are VERY good at jury selection.

What's a PI lawyer? And why the UGH?