CBS12 News Team

Nickelodeon star fights back over drug raid on his Port St. Lucie home

PHOTO: Nickelodeon star Matthew Underwood demonstrates hookah smoking for CBS12.
UPDATE: Port St. Lucie Police now responding to former Nickelodeon star Matthew Underwood's allegations that he was targeted because of his hookah business: "The timing of the execution of the search warrant was merely a coincidence."

Underwood claimed a SWAT team searched his home just hours after he received final paperwork for his hookah lounge. CBS 12 was able to confirm drug agents, not SWAT raided Underwood's home early Friday and seized marijuana paraphernalia.

By Joshua Repp/CBS12.com
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A former Nickelodeon star arrested on drug charges spoke to CBS12 about his arrest, saying some "corrupt officials" are trying to stop him from opening a hookah lounge in his hometown.

The frame to Matthew Underwood's door is destroyed, his house turned upside down after a raid by local drug agents Friday morning. Underwood says they found traces of marijuana, several pounds of "shisha" (a legal substance smoked in hookahs), a marijuana bong and pipe, plus numerous hookah pipes in his garage. They also charged the 22-year-old with contributing to the delinquency of a minor because his 17-year-old girlfriend was present in the home.

The former Nickelodeon star, known for his role as Logan Reese on the show "Zoey 101," was arrested Friday and he was immediately released on bail. Underwood's assistant Ryan Runyon, 25, also was arrested on marijuana charges, while Underwood's girlfriend was released to her grandfather.

The former Nickelodeon star tells us he was targeted because he is trying to open up a hookah shop.

He has no court date set but still plans to open up his hookah shop Cloud Nine Lounge in Port St. Lucie in the next week. The police raid took place just a few hours after operating permits were released to Underwood. He says some city officials tried to thwart his plans for the business, and when that didn't work they turned to the police to intimidate him and his partners.

Port St. Lucie Police were unavailable for comment Sunday but told CBS12 on Monday that the raid's timing was coincidence.

Here's a statement released by Underwood over the weekend:

Matthew Underwood's constitutional right to privacy was violated by police. For the past 6 months city officials of Port St. Lucie, FL have been doing everything in their power to stall and scare Matthew and his partners from opening a Hookah Lounge in his home town. Matthew and a few business partners have been developing a Hookah Lounge is Port St. Lucie for a year with the final permits in the Fire Department and City hall holding them up. Thursday afternoon the official had no more firepower to stop them and had to release the permits in fear of further legal action being taken. Within hours 12 police raided his home on a unbelievably ridiculous search warrant filled with clear mistakes of rushed misinformation. We are in the process of obtaining the video footage of the raid as well as all audio recordings during questioning for release to the public. Matthew has nothing to hide and has made it clear that he would like the world to understand the hardships brought on by city representatives with personal agendas. It is a passion of his to encourage fairness and equality, this situation has more than upset him. The following is a statement made by Matthew Underwood on the subject of his arrest.

"A few City Officials of this town are trying to scare my business partners and I out of opening a Hookah Lounge in their town and I'm just not one to be intimidated by people with personal agendas. I have smoked marijuana on occasion in the past in the safety and privacy of my own home, I would never have expected 12 SWAT members to blow up my door, throw my assistant/driver, my girlfriend, and I to the floor, and raid my home for a piece of trash I smoked a week before," said Underwood.

My very mature responsible girlfriend lives with me with her family's consent so I can give her the care of which generations of her family continue to fail to provide through the past. With drug addict parents and alcoholic grandparents, my home, void of alcohol and narcotics, a point proved by police, is a much safer and encouraging surrounding for her.

The drug agents were extremely nice and informative after the questioning and realizing they just screwed up. The booking officers at the St. Lucie County Jail also made the process very pleasant and easy. We never even saw any bars past the booking department and they even brought us brownies. Just in Case Bail Bonds out of Ft. Lauderdale made me a free man in No Time. My city is amazing, most everyone is here helping keep our community safe and running orderly. Most everyone in our situation was just doing their job to help protect the fine people of their city and doing it well, it is the few corrupt individuals that believe it's they're way or the highway that come to sabotage those truly just trying to do some good.

My existence and life's work has and will remain to be consumed by my efforts contributing to society through community involvement, setting sound examples of which I've always intended, and providing safe places for people to socialize without the need of intoxicants. Which is why I'm starting a Hookah Lounge, one that will NEVER sell or allow any alcoholic beverages or any other form of inebriating substances on it's premises. I'm trying to show the world they can have a great time Sober, and those with personal agendas seem to be trying to combat that."

Matthew adamantly denies all accusations of distributing any illegal substances. He finds this to be a complete violation of his privacy as well as very upset about the extent of damages to his new home he moved into on April 1st. The only trace amount of cannabis found in his home were under a gram total of smoked joint ends and trashed reminisce along with a bong, a hand pipe, and allot of the New Hookah Pipes that were being assembled for the opening of the lounge. They also confiscated his companies research and samples of Non-Tobacco Shisha they've been developing to transition the hookah industry away from Tobacco.

Matthew is welcoming all comments and questions in regards to his life, agenda, businesses, and plans for the future. He has asked to have his Facebook released as well as his Twitter and Instagram accounts. The link to his personal Facebook account is Facebook.com/MatthewUnderhood where you can find all other links to social networks easily."

Tuesday, May 1 2012, 02:34 PM EDT

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