There were 389 women in South Dakota's state prison system Wednesday, an all-time high that forced 43 minimum security prisoners into the former Department of Criminal Investigations dormitories in Pierre. And the number is growing. The state Department of Corrections estimates that the average daily number of female prisoners will grow by 20 percent this year. The trend's cause is obvious to many, both in and out of law enforcement: methamphetamine. "We punish meth," South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long said Wednesday. Long wasn't aware of the new corrections statistics, but said he was not surprised by them. "If you use it or distribute it, we don't have a sense of humor about that." [continues 513 words]
An open letter to the people of Yankton County, one of the few counties in this state designated by our federal government as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: The U.S. has been losing a devastating war on drugs, and now our local politicians and administrators are making silly arguments about how good such a misguided bill like HB1147 would be for our youth. These politicians are trying to change the definition of a key word here, but don't be fooled when they talk about children making "mistakes." A crime by any other name is still a crime. [continues 246 words]
He also found himself under arrest for violating restrictions on gathering petition signatures inside Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Newland was arrested Tuesday by Rapid City police officers and booked for failure to vacate. He is scheduled to appear in 7th Circuit Court at 8 a.m. Wednesday. "I'll plead not guilty and ask for a trial as quickly as possible," Newland said Tuesday evening after being released on bond. "My view is that this is just wrong. Anybody can go into those public hallways and talk about anything at anytime. It's owned by the public." [continues 344 words]
A Meth Disaster Looms In Your Own Backyard Editor's Note: Methamphetamine is ripping apart the fabric of our community. From the 5-year old child charged with taking care of her infant brother because her mother is passed out from the drug, to the rental property owner confronted with the cost of cleaning up a meth lab, to the addict in the state pen for a crime he committed while high on the drug, few people remain unaffected. Starting today and running through next week, the Pioneer will examine this growing problem with a series called, "Meth: Everyone's Problem." [continues 1126 words]
Realtors Against Meth (RAM) is sponsoring meth awareness presentations throughout the Northern Hills which will begin this week in Spearfish. SPEARFISH: A community leaders' luncheon will be held in Spearfish at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Northern Hills Holiday Inn and then at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday a parents' and adults' session will be held at the high school. STURGIS: Then on Tuesday, Jan. 17, presentations will begin in Sturgis at 9 a.m. in the Sturgis Middle School and at 1:30 p.m. at the high school. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be a no-host community luncheon at the Sturgis Armory and then at 6:30 p.m. there will be a parents' and community session at the Sturgis Community Center Theater. [continues 1244 words]
Editor's Note: The following is a part of the full story of a mother who lost her daughter to methamphetamine use. Mary Haydal will be in the Northern Hills area to personally share her experiences with adults and children this month. Adults will receive drug education during the presentation, and the children will view a memorial video for Cassie and a two-minute DVD of Cassie taken two weeks before she collapsed from meth use. Haydal's next presentation will be held Jan. 10 at Spearfish High School. ----------------------------------- Last edit: October 7, 2003 -- I can tell you the last beautiful fall day of the year 2000. It was Nov. 4. The weather was crisp. [continues 1909 words]
Editor's Note: The following is a part of the full story of a mother who lost her daughter to methamphetamine use. Mary Haydal will be in the Northern Hills area to personally share her experiences with adults and children this month. Adults will receive drug education during the presentation, and the children will view a memorial video for Cassie and a two-minute DVD of Cassie taken two weeks before she collapsed from meth use. Haydal's next presentation will be held Jan. 10 at Spearfish High School. ----------------------------------- Last edit: October 7, 2003 -- Her hands and feet were turned inward, like the knuckles were turning the hand and the toes were turning the feet toward the center of her. I did not know at the time that this was a sign of permanent brain damage. [continues 1833 words]
Pierre fifth graders will receive DARE courses in 2006. The Pierre City Commission approved funding $2,000 of the $10,000 program using money left over from the 2005 budget during its regular Tuesday evening meeting. A fund-raising effort was started when it was announced that program was going to end due to overtime cuts in the 2006 budget. The hours devoted to the class by Pierre Police Officer Lisa McFarling, who is its instructor, is mostly overtime because McFarling needs to continue her regular patrol duties during the same time as the course is taught. [continues 208 words]
In a world where no one wants to struggle or feel uncomfortable, where instant gratification and a good time are top priorities, a world in which our kids are used to getting what they want when they want it, a world in which our youth are stressed out over looks and popularity and trying to portray an image of maturity long before their developing bodies and brains are ready for it, the perfect stage is set for drug use. Enter John*. [continues 2064 words]
Plans are still in the works to attempt to resurrect the DARE program for Pierre elementary schools. Pierre City Police Commission Larry Weiss met with Ruth Smith, principal of McKinley and Washington schools; Todd Douglas, Pierre School Board member and First National Bank official; Pierre Police Officer Lesa McFarling; Pierre Public Safety Director Al Aden and Deb Gallagher, a parent who is spearheading the private sector's attempt to save the program. Douglas said that he believed he could raise part of the $10,000 needed to keep the program for Drug Abuse Resistance Education if the city could come up with 10-20 percent. [continues 80 words]
HOT SPRINGS - The Hot Springs School District showcased its anti-drug awareness and educational activities throughout the district last week. Each year, the district sponsors a series of Red Ribbon Week activities to focus attention on the destructive effects that drugs have on our students and community. The theme of this year's observation was "The Red Badge of Courage." The elementary and middle school kicked off the celebration with an anti-drug, alcohol message presentation by Duane Reichert on Monday morning entitled, "Backstage with a Rodeo Clown." The elementary students made posters to display in downtown businesses. Classroom doors were decorated and each day of the week students were encouraged to dress up to show that they support being drug free and each student received a drug free awareness bracelet. [continues 284 words]
It's just say no to DARE, as the Pierre Police Department pulls the plug on the popular anti-drug school program. The loss of the program is a direct result of Pierre City Commission's austere budget plans for 2006. The commission wanted the amount of overtime paid by the city cut significantly. According to the director of public safety, Al Aden, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was one of those run by the police department that cost in overtime as well as taking a patrolwoman out of the field. [continues 441 words]
CHEYENNE -- Declaring that methamphetamine abuse and addiction could not be treated simply as a law enforcement problem, community leaders here announced a comprehensive program to reduce meth use, including community education, policing and drug treatment. The Cheyenne Meth Initiative, which kicked off, seeks to make people aware of the extent of meth's grip on Wyoming and the broad-based efforts needed to fight it. D. Reed Eckhardt, editor of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle and president of the board of the Cheyenne Meth Initiative, said many people were in denial that meth affected their communities. He said community education was the only way to let people know the extent of the problem. [continues 278 words]
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., talked with law enforcement officials and other leaders in Rapid City Monday on ways to get a handle on the making of methamphetamine. Herseth said a big issue is finding ways to hamper access to meth ingredients. The goal is to regulate the ingredients so it becomes harder for the people who would make and sell the drug, she said. The U.S. House is scheduled to debate a bill this fall on contamination associated with the cleanup of seized meth labs, Herseth said. Officials told her that more than half of the drug cases in the area involve meth. Herseth also has held meth forums in Sioux Falls and Watertown. [end]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Apartment manager Hollie Jones is finding out firsthand the cost of methamphetamine use in South Dakota. She's paying $8,500 out of a reserve fund to clean up after a methamphetamine lab was discovered in one of the apartments. The tenant, Jeremy West, 25, had passed the apartment's credit and criminal background checks but was arrested along with two others last week for making meth. "I just thought he was a dumb kid that needed a mom and needed someone to mother him a little bit. It turns out he was probably spending most of his money on dope," she said. [continues 590 words]
STURGIS - Though city officials say the 2005 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was relatively mild, law enforcement officials report a much higher number of drug arrests this year. Marking the official end of the 65th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin, Sturgis Police Chief Jim Bush, and S.D. Highway Patrol Trooper Randy Hartley all said misdemeanor and felony drug arrest numbers have been on the rise for the last couple of years. But this year's arrests are attributed to a variety of different factors, including decreased traffic congestion that allows law enforcement officers to get around easier, increased drug detection training for officers, and increased drug use by rally attendees. [continues 211 words]
Who knew that ditch weed was such a problem? It is, at least to the Brookings County commissioners. They recently approved a resolution, being sent to the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners, urging that the state list domestic cannabis as a noxious weed and requiring that landowners take care of the problem themselves. Brookings is one of only a handful of state counties that uses state money to spray for the wild marijuana on private land. Commissioners feel that should be the landowner's responsibility, not the county's. [continues 75 words]
A Sioux Falls teenager accused of selling drugs to other students is going to prison. A Minnehaha County judge Thursday sentenced Cuong Nguyen, 18, of 237 N. Cliff Ave. to seven years, with an additional eight years suspended. Nguyen was a senior at Washington High School when he was arrested this spring. Police said he was a major drug supplier for local youths. Nguyen pleaded guilty May 5 to possession of a controlled substance and possession of more than 1 pound of marijuana with intent to distribute. [continues 77 words]
SIOUX FALLS -- A Hermosa man completed a cross-state bicycle tour to try to gather signatures to put a medical marijuana measure on the 2006 ballot. Longtime activist Bob Newland pedaled into Sioux Falls on Tuesday night after logging 440 miles and gathering 250 signatures along the Matthew Ducheneaux Trail to Safe Access Bicycle Tour Across South Dakota. The petitions need about 17,000 signatures by May 2006 to get on the 2006 ballot. Newland said his target is 20,000 to provide a cushion for invalid signatures. [continues 340 words]
HERMOSA - A Hermosa man will bicycle across South Dakota to draw attention to what he says is the need for the legalization of medical marijuana. Bob Newland, 56, Hemphasis magazine publisher, plans to launch his two-week journey to Sioux Falls on June 5. He will log about 500 miles in the interim before returning to Rapid City. While cycling across South Dakota, Newland plans to circulate a petition for Safe Access Act of 2006, which would allow physicians to prescribe cannabis as part of a course of therapy and allow patients to possess and use cannabis to alleviate certain medical conditions. Newland invites others to join the tour. [end]
Inside South Dakota
