Pubdate: Tue, 25 May 2004
Source: Charleston Gazette (WV)
Copyright: 2004 Charleston Gazette
Contact:  http://www.wvgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77
Author: Dave Gustafson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH PROSECUTIONS BEHIND COUNTY FEUD

Two Kanawha County commissioners say Prosecuting Attorney Mike Clifford has
enough money to prosecute methamphetamine cases, in the latest feud between
the commission and the prosecutor.

Clifford said last week he would try to get federal money to hire someone to
prosecute the meth cases because the commission refuses to support his
office financially.

"I am confident that we can assist the prosecutor in reallocating his
$2.7 million annual budget so that he can finally begin prosecuting
these cases," said Commission President Kent Carper in a news release.
Of the more than 60 felony criminal cases involving methamphetamine-related
charges in Kanawha County, only one person has been indicted and one other
has pleaded guilty.

Commissioners will discuss the matter Thursday morning, but Clifford
said he 's not planning to be there.

"I have no interest in the commission's discussion of this if they're
not willing to help us in the funding process," he said. "There's no
point in them having a meeting to show how they support prosecution of
these meth cases when they haven't done anything in the past four
years to assist the prosecutor's office in doing so."

Clifford, who said the 21 lawyers on his staff are getting overloaded,
asked U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner about getting money from the U.S.
Department of Justice to add a drug prosecutor to his staff.

Commissioner Dave Hardy said Clifford should get started on
prosecuting meth cases with or without another prosecutor.

"We need to make an example of indicted persons," he said. "I think
the prosecutor's office with a $2.7 million budget - a larger budget
than they' ve ever had - can get started with the resources available
to him." The prosecutor's office has a $2.83 million budget for the
coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. That's almost an 8 percent
increase over the current year's budget.

Carper said federal grants must come through the commission anyway, so
Clifford will eventually need its support.

"To date, we have not received any indication from Mr. Clifford that
he wanted to pursue anything of this nature," Carper said. "During the
budget process however, we did receive requests for pay raises,
computer equipment and bookshelves."

"I can't imagine anything being a higher priority," Hardy said. "It's
a very, very grave threat to public safety right now. One of the
largest apartment buildings in Kanawha County almost burnt down last
week from one of these." Clifford said he's just trying to give his
staff some relief. In April, the state auditor's office found that
next year's Kanawha County budget adequately funds the prosecutor and
sheriff's offices, despite complaints from Clifford and Sheriff Dave
Tucker that their offices will be underfunded.

Commissioner Hoppy Shores could not be reached for comment Monday.
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