Lawyer acquitted on drug charges

EVANSVILLE – An Evansville attorney acquitted of two felony methamphetamine-related charges said he hopes to get his license back and resume his practice.\nA Vanderburgh Superior Court jury found Brad Happe, 30, not guilty Friday night of charges of possession of precursors and conspiracy to deal methamphetamine.\nHappe said he was relieved.\n“It goes to shows how a prosecutor’s office can plant a case against you and trap you and ruin your practice,” Happe said. He declined to elaborate.\nHad he been convicted, Happe, an admitted drug user, faced from six to 20 years in prison.\nThe case began March 29 when police allegedly confiscated ingredients commonly associated with manufacturing meth from Happe’s law office and apartment.\nProsecutors alleged Happe had an agreement with a police informant to manufacture meth and that he procured the necessary ingredients, including ephedrine powder from cold pills, sulfuric acid, ether and a tank of anhydrous ammonia.\nHappe testified in his own defense, saying he went along with the informant’s suggestions because he believed the informant would help him get back his dog, a Shih Tzu mix named Mr. Cole. The informant had testified a woman had taken the dog because she believed Happe had taken a tank of anhydrous ammonia from her.\n“I had hoped he would come through with my dog,” Happe said. “When I was coming down on meth, I was not thinking clearly. With that, I was handicapped. The choices I made were not clear.”\nHappe admitted he was an addict – in 2006 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of visiting a common nuisance – and that if anything good had come out of his arrest it was that he was getting help.\nHappe’s attorney, John Brinson, said in closing arguments that police targeted Happe because he was a defense attorney and a drug user. He said Happe deserved the same second chance that the informant had received for cooperating with police.\nBut Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor Matt Keppler argued that Happe acquired all the ingredients on his own.\n“His meth habit is in no way a defense,” Keppler said. “Every time he has ever used meth he has committed a crime.”