3 IN COURT ON DRUGS, TESTS SHOW

In His Courtroom, Judge Ric Howard Has The Power To Order Immediate Drug
Tests. He did. Now Three People Wish He Hadn't.

INVERNESS - Warning: Showing up in court with illegal drugs in your system
is not a good idea.

In the past two weeks, three people have learned that lesson the hard way.
They thought they were going before Circuit Judge Ric A. Howard for
perfunctory status hearings.

They have ended up taking an emergency drug test.

And they have all confirmed the judge's hunches by testing positive for
controlled substances.

"I've been doing this 25 years," said Howard, who was a veteran lawyer
before being appointed to the bench in 2000. "You can spot these things."

On Wednesday, Teresa A. Hare and Kathleen E. Richard were the latest
victims of Howard's trained eyes. Hare appeared in court on charges of drug
and drug paraphernalia possession. Richard had an unrelated charge of
credit card fraud.

Both looked like they were on something, Howard said. He had them escorted
next door to the drug alternatives program for drug tests. Preliminary
results were positive, officials said.

The women were not arrested on drug charges.

After being arrested on their original charges, the women posted bail and
were released from jail. They remained free on bail as of Wednesday, but
their luck could change. At a special hearing Friday morning, Howard will
decide if bail should be revoked and they should be sent back to jail.

Their chances don't look good: One condition of bail is to remain crime free.

Robert Johnson can empathize. He agreed to a plea bargain Wednesday that
requires him to spend five years in prison for various theft charges. Last
week, he failed a drug test ordered by Howard during a conference hearing.
Johnson had cocaine and marijuana in his system.

The urgent orders are not an unusual occurrence in Howard's courtroom, said
Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman. Florida statutes give judges the
authority to request spontaneous drug screenings.

The public defender representing Hare and Richard couldn't be reached
Wednesday afternoon for comment. Buxman said his office didn't have a say
in the drug screenings, but he didn't object to Howard's decision in Hare's
case.

"If he thinks that the person has done that, he has the right and authority
to do what he did," Buxman said.