Local Assistant U.S. Attorney's Explosive Justice Department Allegations Make National Waves The seven-page document reads like the screenplay for Scarface, had it been written by a Justice Department attorney instead of Oliver Stone. U.S. Drug Enforcement agents in Bogota, Colombia, help local drug lords traffic narcotics. When a confidential informant tips off DEA agents in Florida about the illegal actions of their Bogota counterparts, a Florida agent alerts DEA higher-ups and is put on administrative leave. Meanwhile, DEA agents in Bogota summon an informant to a meeting; as he leaves, he is murdered. [continues 1073 words]
Should you have the right to know if a convicted sex offender lives in your neighborhood? In the 1990s, the reaction to that provocative question formed the basis of Tennessee law that created a Web site, listing the names and addresses of sex offenders. Now, Tennessee law enforcement officials are trying a similar tactic against those who manufacture methamphetamine. Tennessee's Methamphetamine Offender Registry, located at http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/methor/, allows Internet users to enter = a name or county and retrieve those convicted of meth drug offenses since March 30, 2005. Like the state's sex offender registry, the idea behind the meth list is to allow neighbors and apartment and other property owners to know if an individual has a history of this type of criminal behavior. [continues 427 words]
State Removing Fewer Children From Homes Following Restrictions CHATTANOOGA - With Tennessee restricting sales of medications that can be used to make methamphetamine, records show the number of children taken from parents caught making or using the illegal drug is down drastically, possibly by more than half. The state Department of Children's Services provided records to The Associated Press showing that meth investigations forced the state to take custody of at least 268 children in 2005. That's down from a department estimate of 750 children taken from their parents because of meth in 2004. [continues 554 words]
With Tennessee restricting sales of medications that can be used to make methamphetamine, records show that the number of children taken from parents caught making or using the illegal drug is down drastically, possibly by more than half. The state Department of Children's Services provided records to The Associated Press showing that meth investigations forced the state to take custody of at least 268 children in 2005. That's down from a department estimate of 750 children taken from their parents because of meth in 2004. [continues 551 words]
Homemade methamphetamine labs seemed to disappear in Rutherford County after a state law that went into effect in July made it tougher to buy a key ingredient, a sheriff's narcotics supervisor said. But the "club drug" Ecstasy increased in popularity especially among people in their 20s, said Sgt. Egon Grissom while analyzing trends the unit found during the past year. State law restricted the purchase of ephedrine, which is required to make methamphetamine in homemade labs. "We haven't had a meth lab in quite awhile," Grissom said. "Since July, we haven't had a single meth lab. The new law actually had a big impact." [continues 458 words]
CHATTANOOGA -- With Tennessee restricting sales of medications that can be used to make methamphetamine, records show the number of children taken from parents caught making or using the illegal drug is down drastically, possibly by more than half. The state Department of Children's Services provided records to The Associated Press showing that meth investigations forced the state to take custody of at least 268 children in 2005. That's down from a department estimate of 750 children taken from their parents because of meth in 2004. [continues 563 words]
MOUNTAIN CITY -- Business and community leaders were briefed on the 10 most common mistakes employers make at a Johnson County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday. The discussion was led by Steve Trent and Brent Young, attorneys specializing in labor and employment with the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in Johnson City. Among topics discussed were the Family and Medical Leave Act, drug-free workplace programs, which drew the most attention from attendees, the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act, harassment, termination timing and procedures, the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers' compensation, solicitation and distribution policies and avoidance of retaliation claims. At least six million Americans abuse illegal drugs, according to Trent. Recreational drug users are five times more likely to file a workers' compensation claim and 3.7 times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents than other workers. [continues 163 words]
Officials Stepping Up Anti-Drug Campaign This Year. The statewide "Meth Destroys" campaign, which kicked off in early November and is being funded by a grant from Gov. Phil Bredesen's office, now is kicking it up another notch in 2006. In its first two months, the campaign already helped to increase attention to the meth problem in Tennessee through presentations to student groups and other public outreach efforts. As a new part of the campaign, the Tennessee District Attorney General Conference is preparing to roll out television public service announcements that present recovering methamphetamine addicts. [continues 479 words]
Chief Prosecutor, Law Enforcement Educating Public About Grisly Drug Tell-tale signs of methamphetamine addiction, indicators of production labs and appropriate responses to both were were among information presented Wednesday during Clarksville Civitan's weekly meeting. Montgomery County District Attorney John Carney discussed the dangers of methamphetamine before screening an informational video, "Meth Destroys," which was created by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Carney, along with Sheriff Norman Lewis and other members of the local law enforcement community, have made similar presentations at high schools in Montgomery County. [continues 454 words]
TBI Searchable Registry Lists Convicted Offenders If you're wondering whether anyone in your neighborhood is involved in methamphetamine manufacturing, there's now a Web site to search for convicted meth offenders. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation last week made a searchable "Meth Offender Registry" available at http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/methor. The Web site lists by name and by county anyone convicted in Tennessee of charges related to manufacturing meth, a highly addictive stimulant that's often made in homemade "labs" using dangerous combinations of household chemicals. [continues 227 words]
Repairs, Reports Lead To Plan To Beef Up Policies About 500 Wilson County employees are likely to join scores of others in the Midstate to undergo mandatory drug tests after being in a car accident - -- even if it doesn't result in injuries or vehicle damage. A proposal to beef up the county's alcohol and drug-testing policy comes in light of expensive repair bills and consistent reports of accidents, especially by sheriff's deputies and emergency management employees whose jobs require them to drive government-owned vehicles daily, county officials said. [continues 781 words]
Authorities Say Operation Could Grow 100 Pounds Every 8 Weeks HARTSVILLE, Tenn. - Investigators from the 15th Judicial District Drug Task Force found a mother lode of marijuana in the unlikeliest of places - a cave. Beneath a stylish A-frame home on Dixon Springs Road in eastern Trousdale County, three men allegedly set up a sophisticated operation to grow as much as 100 pounds of marijuana every eight weeks. "It's pretty amazing what they had under there - water for irrigation, special lighting, devices to keep the humidity just right. These guys were professionals. They knew what they were doing," said District Attorney General Tommy Thompson of Hartsville. [continues 430 words]
They Admit Roles In Charges Against Third Officer Who's Been Indicted Two Memphis police officers pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to charges they extorted cash and planted drugs on motorists in bogus traffic stops. West Precinct officers Adam Gagnier, 29, and Jennifer Vickery, 35, have agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors investigating similar incidents involving at least one other officer currently under indictment. Both admitted playing roles in charges pending against fellow officer James Fetter. Fetter, who's in federal custody, was indicted last week on charges of violating the civil rights of his estranged wife and her employer. [continues 408 words]
The growing problem of methamphetamine and overall substance abuse in Appalachia will be the theme of a major health conference hosted by the College of Public and Allied Health at East Tennessee State University. The event is slated for March 20-22 at the Centre at Millennium Park. Organizers hope to come up with community approaches to handling the problem of drug abuse, including prevention options, funding strategies and coalition building. Community agencies that have an interest in confronting the problem of meth abuse and production are encouraged to apply for scholarships to attend the conference. [continues 237 words]
It is frequently claimed that the war on drugs, like America's failed experiment in prohibition in the early 20th century, is misguided, unwise and unwinnable and that those who use illicit drugs chiefly harm themselves. Society would be better served, the argument goes, if such activities were largely decriminalized. And yet the recent shooting deaths of two men in downtown Kingsport provide a vivid and timely example of the insidious nexus of drugs and violence that society ignores at its collective peril. [continues 430 words]
His Police Powers Were Stripped Months Before Drug Arrest A campus police officer at Tennessee State University who was arrested this week had been in trouble twice in the past nine months and was stripped of his police powers after making a threat in September, university records show. According to university personnel records, officer Tracy Lamont Morgan, 38, who is charged with selling cocaine, threatened in September to "go postal" and shoot someone when he got angry about filling out paperwork. [continues 631 words]
Less than 12 hours after receiving information from a patrol officer, an early morning traffic stop by the Washington County Sheriff's Office took approximately $50,000 worth of methamphetamine off of the street. According to WCSO Lt. Shawn Judy, he, Investigator Doug Gregg and Deputy Kevin Sanders and K-9 Scout stopped Joseph Bryan Robertson, 37, 217 Watertank Road, Jonesborough about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday. Robertson's driver's license listed his address as Brimer Road, Elizabethton. Robertson was pulled over in the parking lot of Southwest Baptist Church. Before the morning was over he was charged with resisting arrest, three counts of assault on an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of schedule II, IV and VI narcotics for resale. [continues 717 words]
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- A former Nashville plastic surgeon who has been disciplined by medical boards in Tennessee and Illinois has been charged with murder in the drug overdose death of a model. Dr. Christ Pete Koulis was arrested Tuesday in suburban Wilmette on charges of second-degree murder and reckless homicide in the July 4 death of Lesa R. Buchanan, a woman with whom investigators say he had a six-year romantic relationship. This is the second time that Koulis has been arrested on charges involving giving Buchanan illegal narcotics that sent her to the hospital, a fact that will be used in the prosecution's case, said District Attorney Ron Davis. [continues 361 words]
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- A former Nashville plastic surgeon who has been disciplined by medical boards in Tennessee and Illinois has been charged with murder in the drug overdose death of a model. Dr. Christ Pete Koulis was arrested Tuesday in Wilmette, Ill., on charges of second-degree murder and reckless homicide in the July 4 death of Lesa R. Buchanan, a woman with whom investigators say he had a six-year romantic relationship. This is the second time that Koulis has been arrested on charges involving giving Buchanan illegal narcotics that sent her to the hospital, a fact that will be used in the prosecution's case, said District Attorney Ron Davis. [continues 354 words]
Georgian Wasn't Charged; Says He Was Targeted Because He's Hispanic A Rutherford County Sheriff's deputy confiscated $9,400 from a Georgia subcontractor on suspicion of drug activity but never returned the money even though investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing, a lawsuit against the department claims. The subcontractor, Juan Ibarra, further alleges in the civil suit that he believes he was targeted because he is Hispanic. According to the suit filed recently in District Court, Deputy Kenneth Barrett stopped Ibarra, 37, of Smyrna, Ga., for speeding on Nov. 10, 2004, and confiscated all but $20 of his money under the Tennessee Drug Control Act. A search of the car showed no sign of illegal activity, and Ibarra was neither arrested nor cited for anything but speeding during the stop, records show. [continues 230 words]
Yet the federal government lets people who steal from TennCare stay on the health insurance rolls. This issue was illustrated last week when federal, state and local officials busted dozens of people for selling Dilaudid they obtained on TennCare for illegal use. Dilaudid is a painkiller widely prescribed for post-surgical pain relief and management of acute or chronic pain. In some rural counties, the abuse of Dilaudid has passed the more widely known use of methamphetamine. Herea€TMs how the scam works: TennCare abusers visit several doctors who prescribe the painkiller for what they believe is a true illness. The scammers then turn around and sell the pills to drug abusers, who have learned to crush the pills, liquefy them and inject them into their bloodstream. [continues 92 words]
Transitional Housing Should Boost the Success Rate of Drug Court Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman never stops thinking of ways to improve Nashville's drug court, and the city is the better for his attention. The latest innovation in the successful program will come from a $500,000 federal grant. While operational costs for the drug court are included, the grant will also provide funding for a transitional house for those emerging from the program and heading back into society. The house will provide more supervision than traditional half-way houses use for some court and drug programs. The drug court will start with a house for men of anywhere from eight to 10 beds and eventually add a house for the women in the drug court program. [continues 198 words]
The biggest drug problem in rural Tennessee may not be methamphetamine -- now the focus of a statewide campaign --but Dilaudid, a common painkiller drug addicts have learned to abuse. And Nashville plays a big part in the problem. Dilaudid is an opium-based painkiller, which is usually prescribed for post-surgical pain relief, management of acute or chronic pain, and relief of cough and diarrhea. However, drug addicts have learned to crush Dilaudid pills, liquefy them and inject them into their bloodstream much like heroin. [continues 512 words]
Local law enforcement continues to crack down on drugs in Robertson County. This week, officials at the Springfield Police Department and the Robertson County Sheriff's Office made four separate drug busts. Robertson County Sheriff's Office makes ecstasy bust On Wednesday, Nov. 9, at about 3:45 p.m., Detectives from the Robertson County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant on the home of Phong Huynh located at 3003 Burts Crossing in Springfield, according to a prepared statement. The home was in the Glover Hill Estates off Highway 49 West. Upon entry of the home, detectives seized 1,000 units of ecstasy (MDMA), the statement reads. [continues 546 words]
The majority of law enforcement working in Kerr County are recognizable by their uniforms and cars. Behind the scenes, though, the 216th Judicial District Narcotics Task Force has operated "on the streets" fighting the local war on drugs since the 1980s. The task force's future has become uncertain, however, as the federal grant funds that paid salaries and supported the operations will be unavailable after March 31. Task force commander Bill Hill said Thursday his unit could be eligible for a different funding source from the Texas Legislature, but no one knows yet if it will come to pass. [continues 741 words]
HENDERSONVILLE -- Merrol Hyde Magnet School student Tucker Jacky said he would likely never use meth, but added even if the thought crossed his mind portions of a video shown at school Monday would turn him away from the drug. Jacky and other Merrol Hyde Magnet students were the first in the state to view the "Meth Destroys" video, part of a statewide education campaign aimed at keeping young people away from the drug. District attorney generals from across the state and Gov. Phil Bredesen came to Merrol Hyde Magnet School Monday to launch the statewide education campaign "Meth Destroys." [continues 376 words]
Tennesseans should hope the massive sweep of the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning last week will be the first of many. Correction department officials promised state lawmakers last spring that they would address prison contraband, including drugs. The reports of extensive contraband items suggested some prison employees, as well as prisoners, were benefiting. Lawmakers added $481,000 to the prisons budgets to provide six dog units to sniff for drugs. Now, the department, under its new commissioner, George Little, has responded. The actual raid on the prison was planned before Little took office, but the need for the raid has long been apparent. He promises other unannounced raids. [continues 232 words]
Tennessee's Congressional delegation was successful in securing $13 million in projects for the state in this year's Commerce appropriation bill, including $3 million to fight methamphetamine abuse. The projects are included in the conference report of the House and Senate bills, and expected to survive for the final votes in Congress. "This is an important piece of legislation that supports law enforcement, scientific research, technical innovation, and economic growth across Tennessee," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said. [continues 169 words]
Commissioner Contends Prison Crackdown Sends Zero-Tolerance Message NASHVILLE - Correction Commissioner George Little said last week's raid on West Tennessee State Penitentiary sends a message that contraband will not be tolerated in the state's prisons. About 300 agents from at least three state agencies swarmed the prison early Thursday morning. Officers used drug dogs and electronic detection devices to help in the search for drugs, alcohol, weapons, cell phones and other banned items. Little said Friday that officers found several cell phones, weapons and "substances we are testing to verify exactly what they are." Department of Correction spokeswoman Amanda Sluss said Thursday that drugs were taken from inmates but that she didn't know the amount. [continues 248 words]
Search Targets Employees, Inmates, After Complaints Of Drug Rings Surface HENNING, Tenn. -- About 300 state officers swarmed Tennessee's largest prison in an unannounced search for banned items yesterday, months after lawmakers were told that inmates were running drug rings, probably with help from prison employees. Cell phones were a particular target in the search at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary because officials fear that inmates can use them by to plot crimes and avoid the routine monitoring. "It's an ability for them to have a private conversation," Correction Department spokeswoman Amanda Sluss said, adding that the prison 45 miles northeast of Memphis routinely has more cell phones seized than any other in the state. Drug dogs and electronic detection devices were used in the daylong search of all 2,500 male inmates and 800 employees. [continues 445 words]
Drug abuse is a leading cause of death, officials said at a drug awareness forum at Roane State Community College last week. Officials in the medical and law profession, as well as community members who have seen the impact of drugs, made presentations during the forum held in conjunction with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition. Medical personnel Bill Bennett and Tom Boduch focused on the impact the abuse of prescription narcotics has had on the community. Bennett said the Roane County coroner has been at 28 scene investigations this year. Of those investigations, 12 were narcotic overdoses, six were suicides and three were homicides. [continues 459 words]
Illicit Drug Making Combustible Editor's note: The following is the third in a four-part series examining the effects of meth addiction on individuals, families and communities. In the dead of winter late one night in 2002, 45 people from 15 families scurried for survival when the Maples Apartments burned to the ground in Woodbury. Flames could be seen for miles and the embers smoldered for days. The fire drew volunteer firefighters and equipment from as far away as Kittrell in Rutherford County, and Centertown in Warren County. [continues 1386 words]
Most youngsters go to foster care when parent drug use suspected Editor's note: The following is the second in a four-part series examining the effects of meth addiction on individuals, families and commun The first few times his fraternal twins visited him in jail, Jimmy Earls said it was very hard on the pair. They were only 3 years old at the time. "They just couldn't understand why I wasn't (at home)," the convicted methamphetamine producer said. [continues 2025 words]
When Jimmy Earls was arrested more than two years ago, his 3-year-old fraternal twins witnessed the whole thing. "They saw their daddy taken away in handcuffs, and he was just crying," Earls' mother, Joyce Tyner, said. "They wanted to kiss him goodbye," his wife, Jean, recalled. Now Earls passes his time at the Cannon County Jail, where he's been since receiving a 12-year prison sentence in early 2003 for producing methamphetamine. "My wife and I didn't think I'd be in here that long," Earls said, adding that they thought he would be in jail for six months, tops, and then be released on parole. [continues 1756 words]
ELIZABETHTON - High schoolers love to talk on the phone. That fact is one of the reasons why Carter County school officials think their newest tool to keep drugs out of schools will be effective. Secure telephones have been installed in the school resource officer's room at each of the four county high schools. Students or other members of the community may use the phones to leave anonymous tips about illegal activity involving the schools. "They can use it to tell us about any concerns about school safety," Happy Valley School Resource Officer Ken Dugger said. Only the school resource officer, the principal and the assistant principal will have the access code to retrieve the messages. [continues 234 words]
A Man Dies After A Violent Confrontation With Police, And It Comes At A Bad Time For Chief Serpas On Sept. 21-the night before a young man went into cardiac arrest outside the Mercy Lounge-police responded to a call about an unruly person at the bar and music venue. In this case, the man who called the cops alleged that a bouncer at the Mercy Lounge had gotten too physical with him as he removed the clubber from the premises for bad behavior. According to a police report, Officer Jason Cregan arrived sometime after 10:40 p.m. and talked with the man, who said he thought he was supposed to work at the club that night. The bouncer disagreed, and a physical struggle ensued. Due to conflicting versions of events, the police officer didn't make an arrest, but sources say he told club personnel that when they have a problem patron (or would-be employee), they shouldn't take matters into their own hands; instead, call the cops. [continues 1329 words]
Friends, Family Lead Questions Over Use Of Stun Guns To Subdue Young Man At Club Family and friends of a Nashville man who died Saturday after being repeatedly shocked by police Taser stun guns gathered at the base of the state Capitol yesterday to protest his death and the continued use of the controversial devices by Metro officers. About 50 supporters held signs, passed out leaflets and reminisced about Patrick Lee, 21, who was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon, two days after a bizarre confrontation with Metro officers outside of Mercy Lounge, a nightclub on Cannery Row near Eighth Avenue South. [continues 491 words]
State Senator also swipes at Rep. Ford for hoping to "do nothing, except at a higher level." State Senator Steve Cohen upped the ante in his ongoing verbal combat with Governor Phil Bredesen Sunday, accusing Bredesen of waging "a Katrina, a war, for political expediency, on poor people" by his paring of the TennCare rolls, a process which, said Cohen, would "deprive 200,000 people of health care and cost many of them their lives." Speaking at a seminar on "Rethinking the War on Drugs" sponsored by the Public Issues Forum of Memphis, the Midtown Democrat also took an indirect swipe at U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr., the Memphis congressman whom Cohen unsuccessfully opposed in the 1996 Democratic primary for the 9th Congressional District seat. [continues 459 words]
Mom Recounts Her Downward Spiral And Upward Struggle The PTO mom with the pretty red hair was higher than a kite. She hadn't slept in three days. She'd cleaned her kitchen cabinets at least a dozen times. She'd baked the cupcakes for her daughter's classroom. She had cleaned her cabinets again before she drove off in her BMW to her daughter's school. Her daughter's teachers adored her. So did her daughter's friends. Most important, so did her daughter. [continues 1160 words]
A Lab Report Reveals That The Defendant Is Charged With The Wrong Crime Four months after a gay Nashville man was beaten and Tasered by undercover Metro police officers using an informant's chat room offer of drug-fueled sex to lure him to a Stewart's Ferry apartment, a lab report reveals that the man did in fact have illegal drugs on him-not the legal drugs he thought he had or the fake drugs police thought he had. Meanwhile, the police department's internal affairs office is about to wrap up its comprehensive investigation into the conduct of three officers involved in the man's violent arrest. [continues 1451 words]
To the Editor: I'm writing about "Grant a welcome weapon in war on meth Problem" (Aug. 23, p. 2). When our war on drugs began in 1970, the United States didn't have much of a meth problem. We obviously do today. In 1969, the federal drug enforcement budget was $65 million. Today it's $19.2 billion. (These figures don't include the cost of incarceration nor the state and local costs). The obvious answer to our nation's drug problem is more money since we have only increased our drug war budget by 29,500 percent since 1969. Obviously, we must throw more money down the drug war rat hole in our attempt to nullify the immutable law of supply and demand. Kirk Muse [end]
We've become a nation of busybodies. The latest example is Attorney General Paul Summers' admonition to country singer Gretchen Wilson to stop displaying a can of smokeless tobacco while singing the song "Man With A Skoal Ring" in concert. Before anyone protests about promoting tobacco -- smokeless or otherwise -- it's obvious that all thinking people do not want to encourage young people to use the stuff. But let's look at the life cycle of students in Tennessee these days. They are taught in elementary school and particularly in middle school about the dangers of both drugs and tobacco. Most students are required to take D.A.R.E. classes. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and it's a highly effective program used nationwide. [continues 237 words]
Regarding your Aug. 23 editorial ("Grant a welcome weapon in war on meth problem," p. 2), how should Tennessee respond to the growing use of methamphetamine? During the crack epidemic of the '80s, New York City chose the zero tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. [continues 80 words]
Local law enforcement attended a meeting last week on updates that went into effect on July 1 concerning the clandestine methamphetamine lab quarantine law. This law defines how property contaminated by methamphetamine labs must be handled, who is responsible, and what steps must be taken to make the property suitable for human use. Present at the meeting were law enforcement representatives from the Humphreys County, McEwen, New Johnsonville, Waverly, Houston County, Dickson County, the 23rd Judicial Drug Task Force; White Bluff, and the District Attorney's office, and the Humphreys County Register of Deeds office. [continues 395 words]
Latest Stings Cite Stereo Theft, Robbery Of 'Drug Couriers' In what the local FBI chief called a "sad chapter" in a series of stings, three Memphis police officers and a Shelby County sheriff's deputy are accused of on-the-job corruption. Memphis officers Deshone Skinner, 32, and Roderick K. Smith, 37, are charged with robbing people they thought were drug couriers of several thousand dollars in dope money. The couriers were actually FBI informants. "In the book of public corruption, this is a sad chapter, and the chapter is called Tarnished Blue," FBI agent-in-charge My Harrison said. [continues 796 words]
Why is there a bigger methamphetamine problem in Tennessee than in many other states? The answer lies in the geographic nature of Tennessee. It is centrally located for just about every means of transportation, including transporting illegal drugs such as meth. High-level Bush cabinet members were in Nashville last week to announce a comprehensive federal approach to fighting meth abuse nationwide. They announced that Tennessee is one of seven states that will get a total of $16.2 million in grants. Tennessee will get $1.5 million. [continues 191 words]
The only hope to successfully overcome a drug addiction is through the power of Jesus Christ. That was the solution offered by methamphetamine addiction victors who spoke Saturday at the Cleveland/Bradley Meth Awareness Rally at Westwood Baptist Church. Stories of heartbreak and devastation - and victory - from those affected by meth were shared with more than 100 members for the rally, sponsored by Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine support group. Brittany Bowman, president of the Cleveland MAMa chapter and rally organizer, opened with her testimony. She has been clean from the drug for 15 months, and the life change made possible by a relationship with Jesus. [continues 1138 words]
Dr. Mary Holley, founder of the national organization, Mothers Against Methamphetamine, will be in Cleveland Saturday to speak to the Cleveland/Bradley Meth Awareness Rally at Westwood Baptist Church. The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the church pavilion, and will include music, free soft drinks and fun activities for children. Sponsored by the Bradley County chapter of the Mothers Against MethAmphetamine prayer support group, organizer Brittany Bowman, who leads the chapter, said the purpose of the event is to "educate and inform the public about the dangers and realities of methamphetamine." [continues 224 words]
Top Bush Officials Tour Drug Court Here, Announce $16.2M To Fight Abused Substance A months-old Tennessee statute that is credited with a dramatic decrease in the number of methamphetamine labs across the state could become the rule for the rest of the nation if White House officials have their way. After criticism accusing the White House of not doing enough to combat the spread of methamphetamine use around the county, three Bush Cabinet members came to Nashville yesterday to announce a series of national initiatives to combat the problem. [continues 618 words]
The city of Cookeville is now struggling with the allegation that some of its law enforcers have abused their positions and sold their services to people they believed were drug dealers. As disheartening as the story of "Operation Tarnished Shield" is to the public, it is particularly wrenching to the law enforcers around this state whose effectiveness depends on maintaining the public's trust. Eight individuals were arrested on Tuesday after a three-year federal-state effort to wipe out corruption in Cookeville. Those arrested include two Cookeville police officers, Reno Martin and Jason Blythe, former Algood officer Steven Bert Williamson, and former Putnam County jail officer Gregory Dale Scott. [continues 206 words]
Inside Tennessee
