An attorney was arrested, and marijuana and suspected hallucinogenic mushrooms were seized from an Athens law office this week, police said.

The Athens Banner-Herald reported that officers on foot patrol smelled burning pot and traced it to an East Clayton Street law office.

Inside the office, the policemen encountered attorneys Warren Kennedy Abel and Keith Chance Hardy with a smoking pipe, a cylindrical grinder, a package of cigars and “remnants of tobacco and suspected marijuana” on top of the desk where Abel was seated, according to the police report. A 26-year-old woman also was seated on the desk.

Athens police then learned that Eatonton police had an outstanding warrant for Hardy’s arrest, based on his failure to appear for traffic charges there, the paper reported.

Hardy was taken into custody, and police obtained a warrant to search the office.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Amber Hicks’ father, Mark Boggs (center), hugs Hicks’ cousin Kirstyn Bauer upon hearing the life sentence for Matthew Lanz on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Lanz was convicted a day earlier in the 2021 killings of Hicks and her husband, Justin, in their Acworth home. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. 
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez