DANIELS PROMISES HELP IN FIGHT AGAINST METH

Jackson Prosecutor Present At Meeting

INDIANAPOLIS -- Law enforcement officials from Jackson and three other
counties hit hard by methamphetamine crimes met for an hour yesterday with
Gov. Mitch Daniels, who promised to work with them on the problem.

Jackson County Prosecutor Stephen Pierson said the governor was open to
suggestions about dealing with the growing problem of meth, a highly
addictive drug that is cooked in clandestine labs in rural areas.

And Daniels had some good suggestions of his own, Pierson said.

"The governor was excited to think about the possibilities of what the
state could do to help" local officials deal with the problem, Pierson said.

But neither the governor's office nor the local officials would provide any
details about how those partnerships might work. Jackson County Sheriff
Jerry Hounshel said Daniels is working on ideas but isn't yet ready to talk
about them publicly.

Jane Jankowski, the governor's press secretary, said yesterday's meeting
was a continuation of the discussions Daniels had throughout the
gubernatorial campaign about the state's meth problem.

"He is looking for out-of-the-box ways to confront and defeat this
epidemic" and asked the police officials to come up with ideas. He then
plans to bring them back together to discuss a plan, Jankowski said.

Yesterday's meeting also included Putnam County Sheriff Mark Frisbie, Knox
County Sheriff Steve Luce, Montgomery County Sheriff Dennis Rice and
Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell.

The four counties represented at the meeting consistently rank among the
top 10 in meth labs and annual arrests, the sheriffs said.

"We're asking that the state look at the problem head-on," Luce said. "It's
killing our communities. We want the state to try to stay ahead of the game."

Luce and Rice said children in their communities have died as a result of
meth-related activities.

In Jackson County, police say 10-year-old Katie Collman of Crothersville
was abducted Jan. 25 and later killed after witnessing methamphetamine
activity at an apartment complex near her house. Three people have been
charged in the case.

Pierson said meth cases or arrests related to the drug -- for example,
thefts of money to buy it or assaults committed by users -- make up the
majority of his cases. And he said 70 percent to 80 percent of the 173
inmates in Jackson County were arrested for meth-related crimes.

Luce said 70 percent of his inmates are charged with meth-related crimes.
The number is 78 percent in Putnam County, Rice said.

"What's really staggering is that it's even higher among the female
population," Luce said.

The county officials said they support legislation that would require
over-the-counter cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine -- a
decongestant used to make meth -- be kept behind pharmacy counters.
Customers would have to sign a register saying they had purchased the medicine.

The legislation is eligible for passage in the House but must also be
approved by the Senate.

The Senate has approved a bill that would restrict the sales of
over-the-counter medicines to no more than 96 pills at a time and require
monitoring of the drugs. Pierson said that won't help because drug dealers
can simply go from store to store.

"You've got to put it behind the counter," Frisbie said.

Luce said counties might eventually need state financial assistance to deal
with the problem as well.