DEPUTY PROSECUTOR SEEKS METH CRACKDOWN

He Aims To Curb Plea Agreements

LAGRANGE, Ind. - A deputy prosecutor is trying a new way to stop the
infiltration of methamphetamine by eliminating plea agreements for suspects
in meth cases.

LaGrange County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Greg Kenner is also refusing to
offer plea agreements for cases that involve cocaine. Anyone facing meth
charges in Superior Court, which Kenner handles, must plead to the most
serious charge or take the case to trial.

"It's just a way to show people that we're serious about these drug cases
because we're getting so many of them. And we're going to see how it goes,"
Kenner said. "We're just trying to make an impression."

The experiment, as LaGrange County Prosecutor Jeff Wible refers to the
approach, is receiving mixed reviews around the state.

It's tough to stick to a no-plea-bargain policy, some prosecutors said.
Some warned that incarceration is not the answer to the meth epidemic,
while others favor the idea that offenders would be convicted of their
original charges instead of agreeing to a lesser charge.

"In my opinion, that's why laws are put on the books," said Indiana State
Police 1st Sgt. Dave Phelps. "If a lot of time we plead charges down, then
they're not being used to their intent."

No other Indiana prosecutor has an official no-plea-deal policy in any
specific kind of case, said Steve Johnson, executive director of the
Indiana Prosecuting Attorney's Council.

Some say incarceration is not always the answer.

"The current penalties ... do not seem to be a deterrent to discourage
people from doing it," said Larry Landis, executive director of the Indiana
Public Defender Council. "We cannot afford to just wait and punish offenders."