Solving the drug problem is no easy task. Some experts even say it's nearly impossible. But that isn't stopping local law enforcement officers from waging the battle every day on two fronts: enforcement and education. On the education front, District Attorney General Greeley Wells said getting to kids early in their life is important. Wells' office is involved in a statewide education presentation for middle and high school students that addresses one of the worst drugs in America's history - methamphetamine. [continues 564 words]
Additional stories in the Day One of examination our area's drug problem can be found in today's print editon of the Times-News and on its enchanced electronic edition. Those stories include: Five people sit in a circle. Once strangers, they're now a quasi-family, a safety net that serves as a sounding board to grapple with each others' addictions. Page 1B. Drug and alcohol testing by businesses is up in Tennessee, thanks at least in part to a state program with financial incentives that cut workers' compensation costs. Page 1D. [continues 720 words]
KINGSPORT - Judge Steven Jones has seen it all too many times. They cut a deal, go to jail, get out. Before long, however, they're back in front of Jones' bench, sometimes on similar charges, sometimes for more serious crimes. But a large majority of the defendants have one thing in common - drug or alcohol addiction. Without proper treatment, the person gets trapped in a cycle - break the law, get arrested, go to jail, get out on probation, give a dirty drug screen or get arrested again, and go back to jail. [continues 452 words]
BRISTOL, Tenn. - A former drug task force officer fired from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office for stealing money used in undercover drug transactions pleaded no contest to theft Tuesday. Jeff Tabor entered the plea to theft under $500 in Bristol General Sessions Court and asked for judicial diversion. Tabor was originally charged with a felony, theft over $500, but was allowed to plead to the reduced charge. Judge Klyne Lauderback reset the case for sentencing on Dec. 14. There will be a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation background check to determine if Tabor is eligible for diversion, but Lauderback will make the final decision. [continues 198 words]
BRISTOL - A former drug task force officer fired from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department for stealing money used in undercover drug transactions pleaded no contest to theft Tuesday. Jeff Tabor entered the plea to theft under $500 in Bristol Sessions Court and asked for judicial diversion. Tabor was originally charged with a felony, theft over $500, but was allowed to plead to the reduced charge. Judge Klyne Lauderback reset the case for sentencing on Dec. 14. There will be a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation background check to determine if Tabor is eligible for diversion, but Lauderback will make the final decision. [continues 199 words]
Armed Guard Now Posted at Local Drug Store KINGSPORT - Hershel Cave has had enough. After four armed robberies by drug-seekers - two in the past 10 days - he's taken their target off the shelves and hired an armed guard. Cave, who owns Cave's Drug on John B. Dennis Highway, said the problem is getting out of hand. "We'll no longer carry OxyContin on the premises," Cave said. "We're going to put in extra security and extra cameras and put a sign in the window saying we won't carry it." [continues 235 words]
Methamphetamine is a problem drug that not only can be found in Hawkins County - as evidenced by Friday's meth lab explosion - but in neighboring counties as well. "It's just a matter of time before it gets to be a very bad problem for us," said Sullivan County District Attorney General Greeley Wells. In recent years, two methamphetamine labs have been discovered in Sullivan County - one in Bluff City and one in Bristol. But those cases were handled by federal authorities, Wells said, because the federal law addressing meth labs is stronger. [continues 549 words]
BLOUNTVILLE - In the first case of its kind in Sullivan County, prosecutors have gotten a conviction of murder by distribution of heroin. Russell Wayne Canter, 48, of Bristol, entered an Alford plea of guilty Friday afternoon to second-degree murder in the Oct. 30, 1998, death of Seth Guyer. Canter agreed to an 18-year prison sentence. Guyer's body was found Nov. 10, 1998, inside his truck in a remote area of Hickory Tree by hunters. Investigators found evidence of drug use at the scene and initially thought it was just a death by overdose. [continues 185 words]
BLOUNTVILLE - A judge ruled Friday that former Stone Drive Pharmacy owner John Briggs will go to prison for eight of a 20-year prison term for multiple counts of unlawfully dispensing a controlled substance. Briggs, 59, pleaded guilty in February to 16 counts of the Class D felony for selling Darvocet, Ultram and Lortab to customers without prescriptions. The plea agreement called for a four-year prison sentence for each count, with the first five counts running consecutively and the remaining counts running concurrently for an effective sentence of 20 years. [continues 169 words]
