Michael Phelps may face drug charges in Columbia, S.C. after a photo of the Olympian puffing marijuana from a pipe was published Britain’s News of The World last weekend.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Sheriff Leon Lott Jr. said an investigation into the party on campus of the University of South Carolina and charges could be pending against the 23-year-old champion swimmer.

“If someone breaks the law in Richland County, we have an obligation as law enforcement to investigate and to bring charges,” the statement read.

“The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law. If he did, he will be charged in the same manner as anyone else. The Sheriff has a responsibility to be fair, to enforce the law and to not turn a blind eye because someone is a celebrity.”