Pubdate: Mon, 27 Feb 2006
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

DRUG SCREEN FRAUD GOES UNDETECTED

S.C. Man Accused Of Accepting Bribes

CHARLESTON (AP) - A lab assistant charged with taking money to cover 
up urine test results has highlighted the state's lack of oversight 
of drug-test screeners. Neal Lamar Holmes, 41, of Charleston, was 
arrested last month on a charge of obstructing justice. He is accused 
of taking $90 total from two undercover agents to give clean test results.

Authorities say it was not the first time Holmes had asked for money 
to alter tests. They believe he conducted at least hundreds of drug 
tests for the U.S. Probation Office and the U.S. District Court in 
Charleston during his three years as a drug screener.

Authorities concede they have no way of knowing how many of those 
results are potentially tainted.

If convicted, Holmes faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a 
$250,000 fine. He has not yet entered a plea.

If his employer at a North Charleston drug screening lab had been 
required to conduct a thorough background check, Holmes might never 
have gotten the job. His employer did not, partly because he also 
worked for North Charleston's Municipal Court.

"One would think that if someone would be a constable of the court, 
that someone would be trustworthy," said Heather Harrington, 
president of the Alternatives Life Improvement Center, where Holmes 
used to work. But Holmes' arrest record between 1981 and 1996 shows 
he was convicted twice for shoplifting and once for writing a bad 
check, according to State Law Enforcement Division records.

While some believe the arrest should send employers a wake-up call to 
be more vigilant, others say the state might need to get involved. 
"Drug testing is a serious business," said Jean Hamon, manager of Low 
Country Drug Screening in North Charleston. "People's lives are 
determined by the outcome of a drug test."

The state should at least require that anyone who collects urine 
specimens in South Carolina be certified by a nationally recognized 
clinical organization, said Ruth DeHaven, director of St. Andrew 
Medical Center, which conducts urine screens.She said attempts to 
pass dirty urine are common. She recently rejected a sample that a 
client laced with bleach in an attempt to cover up his marijuana use. 
Others have tried passing off watered-down Mountain Dew as a urine 
sample, or bought urine substitutes on the Internet, she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom