His sponsors and fans might be content with letting his latest mistake slide, but the law in South Carolina might not be so forgiving. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that he will charge Michael Phelps with a crime if he is able to determine that he smoked marijuana in his jurisdiction.

Phelps, a 14-time Olympic gold medalist, was photographed smoking marijuana from a bong at a party in Columbia, South Carolina. The photograph was published over the weekend in "News of the World." Phelps had unsuccessfully tried to stop its publication, offering money and favors.

Phelps has issued an apology, calling the behavior "inappropriate."

Sheriff Lott says, "This case is no different than any other case. This one might be a lot easier since we have photographs of someone using drugs and a partial confession. It's a relatively easy case once we can determine where the crime occurred."

In Richland County, possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $750 fine.

So far the exact location of the party in question has not been revealed, but the paper did say that it took place during a visit at the University of South Carolina.

Several of Phelps sponsors, including Speed and Omega, have accepted his apology, calling the incident a "non issue". The International Olympic Committee has also accepted Phelps' apology.