As I read the Viewpoints page to get my daily ration of laughs and groans, I look at the writers' places of residence. As I was doing so Sunday, I read Warner Robins; Macon; Wyndam, Maine; Kathleen and Dublin. Wyndam, Maine? I wondered why would The Telegraph publish a letter from someone in Maine? I reread the guidelines for getting a letter printed and among them is: "Priority will be given to letters that address contemporary local issues and have wide community interest." I wasn't aware that legalizing marijuana was such a burning local issue. I don't recall reading many stories in the paper nor letters in Viewpoints addressing this subject. So why did Viewpoints choose to print a letter from a resident of Wyndam, Maine on the (apparently) contemporary local issue of legalizing marijuana? I'm sure I'm not the only person who would like to know. Bert Peters Warner Robins [end]
VALDOSTA Debbie Dowdell believes that if she can change the direction of one person's life then she has succeeded. Dowdell's life is one marked with obstacles barriers that despite the odds she has overcome and still managed to keep a smile on her face. This year Valdosta Technical College selected her to be the 2009 EAGLE Representative at the EAGLE Leadership Institute in February. EAGLE stands for Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education. Dowdell said she was nominated by her VTC Adult Education teacher Betty Howell. [continues 526 words]
Panthers Carry Guns, But Protest Is Peaceful Pumping fists and chanting "no justice, no peace," about 200 people marched through Cherry Tree Crossing housing development Monday in a demonstration against police brutality, led by shotgun-toting members of the New Black Panthers Party's Augusta chapter. The march went off peacefully, but when it ended at the site where 23-year-old Justin "Jed" Elmore's SUV crashed after he was shot by deputies last week, officers in riot gear were waiting by a package store across 15th Street. Sheriff Ronnie Strength said Cherry Tree residents called the department complaining about Panthers members carrying guns. [continues 1057 words]
hough police never charged Mr. Elmore with a violent crime, the 23-year-old fatally shot by deputies last week appeared to be constantly on their radar. In addition to three felony drug cases, Mr. Elmore had 12 different misdemeanor cases. He spent time in jail, but never for very long. That's not a surprise to people familiar with the criminal justice system. Only so many people can fit in overcrowded jails and prisons, and judges prefer to use those spots for criminals who commit violent and major crimes, attorneys said. [continues 365 words]
It's time for Augustans to choose sides when it comes to crime. When the shooting of an alleged drug dealer in a stolen SUV that is ramming police cars and driving at officers sparks a near riot, as it did Sunday evening, something is drastically wrong. And it's not with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. The 30, and perhaps up to 50, officers who responded to the rock-and-bottle-throwing crowd at the Cherry Tree Crossing housing project Sunday showed unbelievable restraint. The crowd's insults and projectiles were returned by the deputies with stoicism and professionalism and a patience the crowd neither deserved nor perhaps expected. Despite the fact that the bottles and rocks endangered the officers. [continues 338 words]
A former Jefferson police captain pleaded not guilty Friday to violating federal firearms laws for having a grenade and a handgun in his car when he tried to contact his estranged wife in violation of a protective order. Dennis L. Thomas, 49, appeared before a U.S. magistrate in Gainesville to plead to a federal indictment charging him with possession of a firearm while being a drug user and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Jackson County sheriff's deputies arrested Thomas Oct. 7 after he violated a court order barring him from contacting his estranged wife. After his arrest, deputies searched Thomas's car and home and found cocaine, a grenade and other weapons. [continues 222 words]
Camden County's new sheriff right to give some deputies their walking papers. When a law enforcement officer swears to uphold Georgia's laws, that officer must be willing to live up to that oath, even if it endangers the officer's job. That's why Camden County Sheriff-elect Tommy Gregory is to be commended for holding the command staff of ousted Sheriff Bill Smith to account for their failure to stand up to their old boss. Mr. Gregory has fired 27 sheriff's office employees effective Jan. 4; a drastic measure that's necessary in light of leadership issues at the coastal Georgia department. [continues 409 words]
Gwinnett County police drug investigators on Wednesday served a "no-knock" search warrant and forced entry into a Lawrenceville house, but soon discovered they were at the wrong address. In a news release, a Gwinnett police official said it was "a case of human error and not deliberate malfeasance on the part of the investigator." The investigators intended to serve the search warrant at a home on Valley Spring Drive in Lawrenceville about 9:15 a.m. One of the investigators mistakenly pointed out a house nearby. [continues 409 words]
The spokesman for the family of a 92-year-old woman gunned down by a rogue Atlanta police drug squad two years ago put pressure Friday on city officials to settle their lawsuit against the city. "This family does not need to go through a long and bitter [court] process,," the Rev. Markel Hutchins said outside the northwest Atlanta home of Kathryn Johnston, pushing for a quick settlement. The Johnston shooting and the subsequent revelations stunned many Atlantans. On Nov. 21, 2006, police used a "no-knock" warrant to gain entry into Johnston's home. Johnston, apparently surprised by the intruders, fired a gun at the officers. The officers shot her twice in the chest. [continues 272 words]
Chatham County should complete the merger of the Counter Narcotics Team with the Savannah-Chatham Metro Police Department. ENVIRONMENTALSTS ENCOURAGE their neighbors to think globally, but act locally. All elected officials in Chatham County - newly re-elected County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis, Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, the mayors of the smaller municipalities and every official who's committed to reducing violent crime - must follow similar advice when it comes fighting drug crime. How? By putting the countywide drug squad under the command of the countywide police department. That's where it belongs if the community genuinely wants safer streets everywhere, not just in select neighborhoods. [continues 560 words]
I'm writing about Robert Sharpe's thoughtful letter: "Drug war fuels crime" (Oct. 9). Beyond the fact that our so-called war on drugs is counterproductive and a complete waste of money, what about the right of adult citizens to be left alone - especially in the privacy of our own homes? We don't punish those who attempt suicide and survive. So why do we punish those who consume the wrong (politically selected) recreational drugs? I don't want my government attempting to protect me from myself. I want my government to protect me from those who want to harm me against my will. Today, our nanny-state government tells us which recreational drugs we may or may not consume. Note that tobacco is OK, but marijuana is not. Tomorrow, our nanny-state government will tell us which foods we may or may not eat. For our own good and protection, of course. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
I'm writing about Robert Sharpe's thoughtful letter: "Drug war fuels crime" (Oct. 9). Beyond the fact that our so-called war on drugs is counterproductive and a complete waste of money, what about the right of adult citizens to be left alone - especially in the privacy of our own homes? We don't punish those who attempt suicide and survive. So why do we punish those who consume the wrong (politically selected) recreational drugs? I don't want my government attempting to protect me from myself. I want my government to protect me from those who want to harm me against my will. [continues 51 words]
Gwinnett County police say there has been a marked decrease in traffic collisions since its Highway Interdiction Team --- primarily focused on nabbing drug traffickers --- began patrolling the interstates early this year. There were 500 fewer accidents on I-85 and I-985 during the six-month period from March 1 to Oct. 1, compared to the same time frame last year, said Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. David Schiralli. The number of accidents dropped from 1,905 in 2007 to 1,434 in 2008. That is about two fewer accidents every day, Schiralli said. [continues 225 words]
ATLANTA -- A former Atlanta police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to federal conspiracy charges for his role in a botched drug raid that ended in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman. Arthur Tesler faces more than 10 years in prison on a charge of conspiracy to violate civil rights resulting in death. He is to be sentenced in February. Police originally said police had gone to Kathryn Johnston's northwest Atlanta home in 2006 after an informant bought drugs there. But after finding none, officers tried to cover up the mistake by planting baggies of marijuana, prosecutors said. [continues 444 words]
Civil Rights Violated: Ex-Police Officer Could Be Imprisoned for 10 Years As a Result of Elderly Woman's '06 Death, Cover-Up. The federal investigation into the fatal shooting of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston ended Thursday with the guilty plea of former Atlanta police Officer Arthur Bruce Tesler. Against the advice of his lawyer, Tesler pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate civil rights, resulting in the Nov. 21, 2006, death of Johnston at her Neal Street home. As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 10 years and one month in prison. Tesler, 42, is to be sentenced in February. [continues 598 words]
Will Henao doesn't see how a government that legalizes alcohol and cigarettes can justify marijuana prohibition. Too much alcohol will kill you. Cigarettes can lead to cancer and heart disease. "I have never in my life heard of anyone overdosing on marijuana," said Henao, 30, a local college student. "Cigarettes and alcohol have killed thousands of people." A motorist can buy cigarettes and alcohol at a gas station. But anyone who buys marijuana can go to jail, along with hardened criminals. "You're locking someone up with a rapist, a killer, a child molester," he said. "Can you weigh it?" [continues 1871 words]
In 1938, the film "Reefer Madness" warned young people that marijuana would make them violent, promiscuous and insane. Today, the message is a tougher sell. "Reefer Madness" has become a cult classic among the pro-marijuana community and spurred a musical satire of the same title, which will be performed by the Chattahoochee Shakespeare Company in January. Harold and Kumar, the title characters of two modern "stoner" films, smoke pot but also have skills for socially respectable occupations -- one's an investment banker, one has a knack for medicine. [continues 471 words]
She's 21 years old and has a 3.82 college grade point average at a prestigious university. She also smokes marijuana regularly. "It's the only illegal thing that I do, other than maybe speeding every now and then," she said last week in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer. She could be your daughter, your girlfriend or your best friend. She is one of millions of people in the United States who smoke marijuana. When it comes to illegal drugs, marijuana has broad appeal and strong social acceptability, despite research that it can cause health problems and lead to the use of harder drugs, and despite its connection to crime and violence. [continues 1765 words]
Asked to rate marijuana on a scale compared to other drugs, Jack Killorin turned the question around. As director of the White House Office of High Intensity Drug Areas in Atlanta, Killorin has the perspective to ask a better question. "Which scale are you talking about?" Killorin asked. "On the scale of criminal productivity, marijuana is king." A true cash crop. Caught in the middle are the federal, state and local law enforcement officers and agencies fighting the Mexican drug cartels, an increasing number of grow houses and small-time dealers trying to cash in. [continues 827 words]
Your Sep. 18th editorial makes the common mistake of confusing drug-related crime with prohibition-related crime. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. [continues 122 words]
After his college football career, Greg Campion became a decorated law enforcement officer for cracking large-scale drug rings and apprehending high-value suspects. But on Thursday, with some of his old colleagues looking on, the disgraced former federal agent stood before a judge and begged for mercy. "I have made a terrible mistake," said Campion, 38, his hands clasped behind his back. "I will offer no excuse to you, whatsoever." U.S. District Judge Jack Camp sentenced the former agent to one year and nine months in federal prison for failing to report more than $200,000 in cash income. Camp also ordered Campion to pay back $92,614 to the IRS and the Georgia Department of Revenue. [continues 247 words]
Continued Drug-Related Violence Signals Need To Consolidate Drug-Fighting Effort In The Countywide Police Department. DESPITE SOME recent high-profile shootings and robberies, the larger picture of violent crime this year in Savannah is somewhat encouraging. This week, statistics from the FBI and Savannah-Chatham County police department showed a 7 percent decrease this year in crimes such as murder, robbery, rape and aggravated assault. While the percentage is less than the 15 percent dip that Police Chief Michael Berkow was hoping for, it does show that things are trending in the right direction for 2008 compared to 2007. [continues 424 words]
The Bryan County Drug Free Coalition, a group initiated last year by Bryan County Family Connection, was awarded a $625,000 federal grant to help enhance its programs. Starting this year, the Coalition is slated to receive $125,000 per year over a five-year period. Coalition Chairman Gini Nichols said this will give the group a huge boost and will help greatly to create an awareness of and help address the local drug and alcohol problem among young people in Bryan County. [continues 323 words]
There's a war going on, and it's not overseas. It's just over the border. Thirty people -- including a baby and a 4-year-old -- were murdered recently in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez and Creel in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. It's not the exception anymore; it's become the rule on the U.S.-Mexican border: 2,682 people have died this year alone in drug violence in Mexico, most of it near the border. [continues 241 words]
First Distribution Set For Be A Better Bulldog WHO: Parents of ninth-grade students at New Albany High School WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Monday WHERE: NAHS DETAILS: Learn about drug trends, signs of drug abuse and more Each middle and high school will host its own distribution during open house within the first two months of school. Some dates are: Scribner Middle School, Sept. 2; Hazelwood Middle School, Sept. 9. The dates for Highland Hills Middle and Floyd Central High schools were not available as of press time, but New Albany Police Officer Steve Harris said those will be within August or September. [continues 453 words]
In spite of enormous support from the medical community and the fact that 12 states have passed laws protecting their seriously ill, Georgia has yet to introduce legislation that would protect medical marijuana patients from arrest. I would like you to consider for a minute that a person dying of cancer who uses medical marijuana to control nausea associated with chemotherapy can be arrested and jailed in Georgia. Leading medical organizations such as the American Nurses Association, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the American Medical Students Association support the medical use of marijuana. [continues 105 words]
A recent increase in drug-related kidnappings in Gwinnett County has put a spotlight on drug violence in Georgia, federal agents say. About nine drug-related kidnappings have occurred in Gwinnett this year. The latest involved a man bound and chained in a basement in Lilburn whom federal agents rescued earlier this month. Mexican drug cartels are moving large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the country for distribution up the East Coast, said Rodney Benson, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta. Drug-related kidnappings have increased in the past 90 days, he said. [continues 762 words]
By 12th grade, most local students say they "agree" or "somewhat agree" that getting alcohol is easy. The same students as a group agreed that it was even easier to get smoking tobacco; and those surveyed said that except for tobacco, prescription drugs prescribed for someone else were the easiest drug of all to obtain, even in front of inhalants like glue and paint. Ringgold High School Principal Sharon Vaughn said she has been in education for 38 years. For her, the Georgia Student Health Survey II administered to 423 students in October is just a confirmation of what she already knew. [continues 662 words]
Pair Said They Didn't Know He Was Officer With 'No-Knock' Warrant. That Doesn't Matter, Justices Say. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that a person found guilty of murdering a law enforcement officer is eligible for the death penalty, even if the killer did not know the victim was an officer. The 5-2 ruling was issued before the upcoming trials of Antron Dawayne Fair and Damon Antwon Jolly, who are accused of killing Bibb County sheriff's deputy Joseph Whitehead in 2006. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against both men, who will be tried separately. [continues 295 words]
Contrary to Cynthia Tucker's recent column ("Just filling prisons won't make us safer," @issue, June 29), evidence proves that imprisoning criminals works. Crime is down since we decided that criminals shouldn't be on the street but in prison. We still release too many repeat offenders who perpetrate many crimes regardless of previous imprisonment. Treatment works for only a very limited and motivated minority. Tucker complains about the number of black men in prison. If we want to reduce that number, we should reverse liberal social policies installed since the 1960s and strengthen all traditional families, not just the black family. The black family was stronger in the 1950s than it is today. [continues 51 words]
The Muscogee County Juvenile Drug Court has been awarded a $30,903 grant from the Judicial Council of Georgia Standing Committee on Drug Courts. Drug Court Director Mary Bode said the grant will be used to help pay a salary in the department. Since beginning in 2002, Drug Court has offered services to juveniles who have been arrested for drug-related offenses such as marijuana possession. Taking part in the program requires at a minimum, substance abuse treatment, appearances in front of the judge every two weeks, frequent random drug screens, home monitoring visits and other services. The program can last up to two years. [continues 55 words]
Two North Georgia troopers say they followed their noses to almost 3 pounds of marijuana stashed in the trunk of a car they stopped on I-75. Troopers Jeff Adamson and Kevin Turner said they caught a whiff of "raw marijuana" from within [redacted]'s car. This gave them probable cause to search, find the pot and arrest [redacted] and his passenger, [redacted]. But [redacted], of Chattanooga, claims that something about the arrest smells funny. Specially trained dogs are often used to sniff out illicit drugs, but is the human nose that sensitive? [continues 730 words]
Smith Used $615,000 in Federal Funds for Tuition, a Lease, Private Lawyer and More ST. MARYS - Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith stopped paying jail inmates from seized drug assets when state investigators began looking into the controversial practice last July, according to copies of checks he released to avoid a lawsuit last month. But Smith continued to use the federal forfeiture money for other questionable expenditures such as college tuition for favored deputies, a Kingsland boxing club's lease, and a retainer for a private lawyer, the checks show. And he used the federally regulated fund to pay routine expenses after county commissioners cut his operating budget last year. [continues 1036 words]
New public safety programs in Hall County's schools, from drug dogs to driver education, have earned the Hall County Sheriff's Office a national distinction. Meanwhile, a private citizen has come forward to purchase two more dogs that will be used for periodic checks in high school halls. The 13 deputies who serve as school resource officers for the Hall County school system's six high schools and six middle schools are being recognized with the Model School Resource Officer Agency Award by the National Association of School Resource Officers. The award will be presented at the association's annual conference next month. [continues 348 words]
In several speeches, Barack Obama has used an easy, if imprecise, formulation to express his despair over the high incarceration rate of young black men. "I don't want to wake up four years from now and discover that we still have more young black men in prison than in college," he said at a rally last year, repeating, more or less, a line used frequently by critics of the criminal justice system. But it's not accurate. If you were to check with academic and criminal justice sources, you'd find, happily, that there are far more young black men in college -- about 530,000, ages 18 to 24 -- than in prison -- about 106,000 in the same age group. [continues 630 words]
Thank you for the recent opportunity to discuss the efficacy of drug prohibition in America. Columbus defense attorney Stephen Hyles says we are "stunningly stupid" to call for an end to drug prohibition and uses -- for example, the fact that moonshiners are still around even with the end of alcohol prohibition. As a percentage of the marketplace, do we really think moonshiners compete, in any way, with Budweiser or Jack Daniel's? And who controls and regulates that marketplace? In Switzerland they have had a state-run heroin maintenance program for 10 years. Not one addict has overdosed during this program's existence, but perhaps the most telling statistic, as reported in the June 2, 2006 issue of the prestigious medical journal Lancet is the 82 percent decline in new heroin users over the 10-year period. [continues 167 words]
The Augusta Judicial Circuit's new drug court is definitely a step in the right direction, but an arrest should not be a necessary prerequisite for drug treatment. Would alcoholics seek help for their illness if doing so were tantamount to confessing to criminal activity? Likewise, would putting every incorrigible alcoholic behind bars and saddling them with criminal records prove cost-effective? The United States recently earned the dubious distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world, with drug offenses accounting for the majority of federal incarcerations. [continues 111 words]
The Augusta Judicial Circuit's new drug court will try to fix what's causing up to 80 percent of crime You know that commercial where the cell phone customer is being shadowed by an army of cell phone company employees? In a smaller way, and for a much different purpose, that's what a select group of drug offenders are going to experience starting later this month in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Officials are creating a drug court in Richmond and Columbia counties, and later in Burke County, to help reduce drug-related crimes -- those directly involving illegal drugs, and those inspired by the drugs. Together, they account for perhaps 80 percent of all crime. [continues 354 words]
The Hall County School Board voted Monday to expand random, mandatory drug testing to all permitted student-drivers as well as student-athletes for the 2008-09 school year. Until now, the school system has conducted random tests only on student-athletes. But board members hope the expanded program will further educate students about the dangers and problems of alcohol and drug abuse and give "kids another reason to say no," West Hall Athletic Director Greg Williams has said. And just like student-athletes who test positive for drugs, student drivers who test positive the first time will not be allowed to drive to school for 10 percent of the semester, according to the school system's proposal. [continues 122 words]
Soldiers To Plead Guilty In Robbery Scheme Four U.S. Army soldiers who were caught planning a commando-style armed robbery of a purported drug stash house are preparing to plead guilty for their roles in the incident, according to court records and lawyers for the servicemen. The four soldiers from the Camp Frank D. Merrill mountain training facility in Dahlonega initially were charged with drug conspiracy and weapon offenses after being arrested in January. If convicted, they each faced mandatory minimum prison sentences of at least 15 years. [continues 432 words]
Officer In Fatal '06 Raid Guilty Of One Charge Arthur Bruce Tesler's acquittal on two of three charges Tuesday may have spared him a long prison term for his role in the killing of a 92-year-old woman -- but a spectator at his trial said the Almighty would have the last word. "I put it all in God's hands," said Esther Woltz as she waited on the Fulton County jury's verdict for the Atlanta police detective. The jury acquitted Tesler on two charges from the illegal 2006 narcotics raid in which officers shot and killed Kathryn Johnston in her northwest Atlanta home. It found him guilty of lying in an official investigation in the cover-up of police wrongdoing that followed the shooting. [continues 1133 words]
A Fulton County jury said Monday that it cannot reach a verdict in charges leveled against an Atlanta police detective for his role in the police killing of a 92-year-old woman, but it will continue with a fourth day of deliberations Tuesday. Jurors asked for a transcript of the officer's testimony at the trial. Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson said he would provide the transcript Tuesday. Arthur Bruce Tesler is the only Atlanta police officer to face a jury over the events that led to the killing of Kathryn Johnston in a botched and illegal narcotics raid on her house two days before Thanksgiving in 2006. He is charged with violation of oath of office for being party to a lie to get the warrant; lying in an official investigation because of the cover-up afterwards; and false imprisonment for his participation in the raid in which he surrounded the Johnston house but did not fire his weapon. [continues 585 words]
Russell Bietsch was just weeks away from his 19th birthday when his parents discovered he used drugs. It's hard to say whether this was his first time or not, but it was his last. Sometime around 2:30 a.m. June 1, Russell collapsed at a friend's home and was pronounced dead on arrival at Grady Memorial Hospital. He was a nice kid from a nice suburban neighborhood and responsible, involved parents, one of countless American teenagers who experiment with drugs - except for two things. [continues 600 words]
Opening Statements to Begin Today in Officer's Trial Arthur Tesler doesn't face the most serious charges in the illegal police raid that resulted in the killing of a 92-year-old woman, but his trial could be the only time the high-profile case gets laid bare in the courtroom. Tesler is the only Atlanta police officer to go to trial for his role in the 2006 raid that left Kathryn Johnston dead. Officers later admitted planting drugs to justify breaking into her home. [continues 756 words]
Program Helps Point Kids Down Better Path The Hall County school system has a program in place, educators hope, that stops student drug use in its tracks. Since 1999, the district has required students caught in offenses related to drugs or alcohol to attend its Substance Use Prevention and Education Resource, or SUPER 1, program. "We want to be able to try to decrease any type of incident of drug-related referral," said Stacy Benton, student assistance coordinator for the school system. [continues 476 words]
The cause of Georgia Tech baseball player Michael Hutts' death hasn't been determined, but the mention of heroin in the police report on his death was a reminder that abuse of the addictive drug is on the rise. According to the Georgia Drug Rehab Alliance, local law enforcement agencies around Atlanta are reporting increasing problems in their jurisdictions. Ryan Tinkoff, Hutts' roommate, told police that an acquaintance of Hutts who was known to use heroin -- "possibly with Mr. Hutts," the report said -- arrived at their apartment about 11 the night before the Tech pitcher was found dead. [continues 212 words]
Constant worry: With the easy availability of drugs and alcohol to college students, coaches have to monitor players' behavior for potential problems. Former Georgia Tech football coach Bill Curry said Saturday that the police report stating Jackets pitcher Michael Hutts consumed alcohol the night before he died took him back to the days when he dealt with issues of drug and alcohol abuse on a daily basis. "There is a world out there that most of us have no idea that it even exists," said Curry, who also coached at Alabama and Kentucky. "And if you're a coach today, you better be willing to get down and deal with it on the street level. [continues 543 words]
Program Could Begin This Fall The Hall County Board of Education is looking at expanding mandatory, random drug testing to include student drivers as early as the fall. Superintendent Will Schofield recommended the measure Monday night. "We don't have a greater safety issue than people under the influence driving vehicles," he said in an interview earlier in the day. The program now involves only student athletes, with costs covered by gate receipts as part of athletic budgets. The expanded move could be covered by student parking fees now in place. [continues 416 words]
When the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced in late February that 26 additional counties across the nation would be designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), astute observers might have noticed that almost a third were located in Georgia. Eight counties--Barrow, Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette and Forsyth counties, all part of suburban Atlanta--were added to Georgia's existing HIDTAs: DeKalb and Fulton counties, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the city of Atlanta itself, which have been designated HIDTA since 1995. [continues 1031 words]
DEA Agent Makes Plea Deal Tax Charge Means Jail For Defendant Based In Atlanta A former Drug Enforcement Administration special agent on Wednesday agreed to spend at least 15 months in prison for failing to report more than $200,000 in cash he obtained while working as an Atlanta agent in 2004. Gregory Campion, 46, of Orlando was a longtime DEA agent, serving from 2003 to 2005 as backup supervisor at an Atlanta task force office where he had access to millions of dollars in cash seized from drug traffickers. In 2006, Campion was indicted for embezzling seized drug money, but prosecutors agreed to drop those charges in exchange for the guilty plea to the tax charge. [continues 303 words]
Inside Georgia
