Pastor, pusher, hypocrite

I have not used the word Pusher in years. It fits in this case. 72-year-old pastor Frank Leach may have found the collection plate too thin to pay for his soup. He started selling Xanax, a prescription anti-anxiety medication, from inside his small community Church. He was selling the pills for eight dollars each. At the time of his arrest, he had a bankroll of$5,000 in cash, a 22 revolver, and a police scanner.

Beware: Snarky sarcastic comments below

OK - now what the hell? Who would by Xanax from a pastor? I don't know if I am more upset by the fact that a old codger and "man of the cloth" is peddling tranquilizers to whoever has a sawbuck, or the fact that his neighbors were so stunned that their fine upstanding pastor is a drug dealer.

"It's hard to believe. It caught me by surprise,” said a neighbor of Leach. “You know, I'm surprised that something like this would happen."

That man has lived across the street from Leach for years. He says the 72-year-old lives in the building next to the church and often hosts garage sales. He says he knows Leach as the kind of person who did what he could for people in need.

It sounds more like Leach is an amoral pastor and hypocrite, or an opportunist who likes to play the ponies. Either way, a fall from grace hurts. Especially after you piss away a life's work for a few bucks.

Technorati tags: Frank Leach, Xanax, Pastor, Salinas, hypocrisy