Adventure 16 Blog » Wrongful Jailing Over Dr. Bronners Soap

‘Germ’ Wrongly Jailed Over Soap; Absurd GHB Drug Charges for Don Bolles, Drummer of the ‘The Germs,’ Stem From a Bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap Found in Van During Police Stop

ESCONDIDO, Calif., April 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Bronner family, makers
of the popular organic Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, are shocked and disturbed
by musician Don Bolles’ April 4th arrest for felony drug possession after
police alleged an 8oz bottle of peppermint Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap tested
positive for the illicit drug GHB (Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate). The notion that
anyone would put GHB in a rinse-off liquid soap product is beyond belief,
and the police field test used must have been flawed or tampered with. GHB,
which produces euphoria and is an alleged aphrodisiac when ingested, of
course has absolutely no effect in a soap product that is rinsed off the
hands and body.

Mr. Bolles, drummer of the legendary punk band The Germs
http://germsreturn.com/, was arrested following a police traffic stop and
spent three and half days in various jails in Orange County before being
released early Easter morning. During a consented search of Mr. Bolles
vintage 1968 A-108 van, Newport Beach police found a bottle of peppermint
Dr. Bronner’s soap which is made with organic coconut, olive, hemp,
peppermint and jojoba oils. Felony drug possession could mean 20 years in
prison if convicted. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 13,
2007 at the Harbor Justice Center, 4601 Jamboree Road Newport Beach, CA at
8:30am.

“I’ve used only Dr. Bronner’s soap for 35 years,” says Mr. Bolles. “I
use it for everything — bathing, washing my hair, washing my clothes — it
goes everywhere I go. I’m scheduled to go to Europe to tour with The Germs
this summer, but these felony charges could keep me from traveling out of
the country. This whole thing could be really devastating to a 50 year old
guy just trying to make a living. I told the officer ‘its soap, it smells
like peppermint soap,’ but he seemed intent on arresting me.”

“It is totally outrageous that the police could be this malicious and
idiotic,” says Michael Bronner, Vice-President of Dr. Bronner’s Magic
Soaps. “This clearly is a case of profiling by the Newport Beach police of
a person who doesn’t look like the people who live in that town. We are
paying the cost of Mr. Bolle’s lawyer, and we demand the charges be dropped
or proof from the police forensics lab of GHB contamination be immediately
provided to us,” said Bronner. Adds brother David Bronner, President: “We
cannot imagine anyone putting GHB, or any other drug for that matter, into
a rinse-off soap product that is lathered and rinsed off the body
immediately. The Newport Beach police should see how much of a buzz putting
beer in their shampoo gives them, and get a grip and apologize on their
hands and knees to Mr. Bolles.”

At the time of the arrest Mr. Bowles was driving his girlfriend, and
fellow musician Cat Scandal to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Newport
Beach. “I had heard of GHB but the police had to tell me what it was,” said
Bolles. “I’m going to fight these charges.”