GRAND JURY INDICMENTS REFLECT SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM, PROSECUTOR

CLARKSBURG -- One of the 72 people indicted Thursday by the Harrison County
Grand Jury is accused of selling marijuana near the courthouse, prosecutors
say.

If a conviction eventually is returned, one logical question becomes: Why
there, where prosecutors, judges and police are found in numbers?

A better question right now, though, might be: Is there anywhere left in
Harrison County or North Central West Virginia free from drugs?

The drug problem, Harrison Prosecutor John Scott said in announcing the
indictments, is very real, very much on the rise and very dangerous.

'We Have A Serious Problem'

About two-thirds of the indictments involved drugs in some way, Scott said.
Some of the drugs police and prosecutors contend were involved were
cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin and pain-killers ranging from OxyContin
to morphine.

Some people were indicted on drug charges. Some were indicted on other
charges that were related to drugs, he said.

"We have a serious problem, and I think everybody in the community knows
that. I hope through these indictments to begin to remove these people from
the streets," Scott said.

"These defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible,
because removing what they're putting on the streets is vital to making our
county safe," he said.

The Source

Marijuana mostly is grown around here and passed among state residents,
Scott said.

Some other drugs, like heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, are very likely
to come from outside West Virginia, Scott said.

Other drugs, like the prescription pain-killer oxycodone (known by the
brand name OxyContin), come from both outside and inside the area, Scott said.

"The biggest problem is the change in the type of drugs, particularly
OxyContin," Scott said. "It's more readily available, provides a bigger
high, and it makes people more desperate to get it. When they can't get
that, they substitute in heroin or cocaine."

The War on Drugs

Harrison County's drug task force has increased its efforts to limit drug
crimes, Scott said.

In the prosecutor's office, one of Scott's assistants has been assigned
solely to drug cases. That work ranges from prosecuting cases to assisting
the drug task force in collecting property from drug suspects.

It will be a tough battle.

For example, someone who wants to abuse OxyContin, Scott indicated, need
only persuade his doctor that he has severe enough pain to warrant the drug.

"It's very hard to diagnose for pain," Scott said.

Drug Indictments

Following is a list of those indicted Thursday on drug charges. It does not
include those indicted on other charges in which prosecutors believe drugs
could have been a motivation.

All information was provided by the Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney's
Office.

Those indicted, and the charges against them:

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