Pubdate: Thu, 15 Apr 2004
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2004 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Stuart Tomlinson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUGS ARE ISSUE NEAR, NOT ON, CAMPUS

Officers Say Criminals Recognize There Are Harsher Penalties for Drugs on 
School Grounds, So They Deal Outside the 1,000-Foot Rule

GRESHAM -- As undercover officers watched last week, two youths -- one a 
17-year-old student at nearby Sam Barlow High School -- drove up to the 
duplex on Southeast 16th Loop where John Sauer and Tony Cooper live.

The youths picked up Sauer and drove around the streets of the newer row 
houses and duplexes for a few minutes, police said. A short time later, the 
boys dropped Sauer off at the duplex and drove to a nearby church parking lot.

The boys had bought pot from Sauer, police said.

"They were rolling a joint when a uniformed officer drove up," said 
Detective Bob Peterson of the Gresham Police Department. "We're not sure if 
they were going to head right back to school, but it is a reasonable 
assumption that they were."

The officer confiscated the drugs and cited both boys for possession of 
less than one ounce of marijuana -- a violation that carries a $100 to $150 
fine. Unless the boys want to contest the charge, they won't have to appear 
before a judge.

But if the Barlow High student had been caught with marijuana on school 
grounds, the penalties -- from both the judicial system and school 
officials -- would have been more severe. That reality, school and 
law-enforcement officials say, may comfort parents.

Ultimately, it means that drug dealing just shifts out into the community, 
sometimes just beyond school boundaries but within access of high school 
students.

Just moments after the boys were cited, narcotics detectives from Gresham 
police and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office broke down Cooper and 
Sauer's front door. Inside, they found six ounces of cocaine, a pound of 
marijuana, $45,000 in cash and several scales.

Police said students from Barlow High frequented Cooper's neighborhood, and 
PENALTIES 7
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager