Q: Before he was famous, comedian Tim Allen was busted for cocaine. To avoid prison time, he turned in someone higher up the drug food chain. What happened to that individual? Did he turn his life around after prison?
—Donald Varn, Conyers
A: Allen, who starred in "Toy Story" and "Home Improvement," gave the names of several other people to law enforcement authorities in exchange for a lesser sentence after he was arrested on drug charges on Oct. 2, 1978.
Allen’s information resulted in the indictments of “20 people in the drug trade and resulted in the conviction and sentencing of four major drug dealers,” author John F. Wukovits wrote in an unauthorized biography called “Tim Allen (Overcoming Adversity),” as reported by Gawker.com.
Allen, whose real name is Timothy Allen Dick, was arrested with more than 650 grams (1.4 pounds) of cocaine at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan, CBSNews.com wrote in an online slideshow called “Celebrity arrests they wish they could forget.”
Allen served 28 months of what could have been a life sentence under Michigan law. He was paroled on June 12, 1981.
Q: The last few weeks I’ve noticed a stripe on the back of the shirts worn by football coaches and assistants. When did this start and who is entitled to wear it?
—Harry Robbins, Atlanta
A: The vertical stripes are a design feature of Nike's sideline collection, including the 2015 Coaches Sideline Polo, which features a vertical stripe in NFL and college team colors on the back of the shirts.
Nike’s College Alpha Fly Rush jackets feature a vertical stripe that extends about halfway down the back.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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