13 PAROLEES BACK IN JAIL AFTER DRUG TEST

Forty parolees had been summoned for what turned out to be a surprise
police check for narcotics.

Thirteen ex-cons were sent back to jail this week after state officials
surprised them with a pop drug test.

The Roanoke-area offenders were charged with violating their parole based
on positive drug tests conducted when they were summoned to the probation
and parole office for what they thought was a routine meeting.

Instead, they found a team of police officers, parole officials and a
drug-sniffing dog waiting for them. The offenders were searched for drugs -
none were found - and then ordered to undergo on-the-spot urine tests.

Of 40 targeted parolees, 13 tested positive and went straight to jail.
Cocaine and marijuana were the substances most often detected, according to
Larry Traylor, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Four more parolees who failed to show up were being sought Tuesday.

Those who tested positive - mostly nonviolent offenders with drug records -
now face hearings before the Virginia Parole Board and the possibility of
more time behind bars.

The surprise testing, dubbed Operation Consequences, was the 13th time
since 1996 that the Virginia Department of Corrections has targeted drug
users suspected of re-offending while on parole.

In the past, other localities have had more arrests than were produced by
this week's operation, which included offenders from Roanoke, Roanoke
County, Salem and Vinton.

That may be because the Roanoke Valley has more drug - treatment offerings
- - including the state's first drug court and an intensive supervision
program - than most areas, according to Sherman Lea, regional administrator
for the Department of Corrections.

Lea said the operation was part of a "balanced approach" that usually
offers treatment first. "At some point, there are consequences," he said.
"And if you continue to abuse drugs after going through our programs ... we
will restrain you and incarcerate you."

Department of Corrections Director Ron Angelone said in a prepared
statement that the operation was consistent with Gov.
(http://www.thedigitaldominion.com/home.cfm)Jim Gilmore's SABRE initiative.
The Substance Abuse Reduction Effort emphasizes prevention, enforcement and
treatment.