OXYCONTIN SUSPECT RELEASED

System for Easing Jail Jam Defended

When authorities arrested Gary Bruce Cooper two weeks ago, they called
him one of the New Orleans area's largest dealers of OxyContin, a
powerful and often-abused prescription painkiller linked to a rash of
overdose deaths across the country.

At a news conference to publicize Cooper's arrest the next day,
narcotics agents called him a "major, major player," saying they had
seized more than 50 bottles of illegal drugs and seven guns during a
raid on his home near Bush.

But because of overcrowding at the parish jail in Covington, Cooper
was back on the streets a week later.

Cooper, whose bond had initially been set at $800,000 cash or
property, was released Wednesday on a $175,000 signature bond that
required no money down.

He was selected for release using a rating system called "Code 6"
implemented a year ago to reduce crowding at the 676-bed jail, St.
Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman James Hartman said.

"Nobody wanted to let him go. It was done under the Code 6 guidelines,
which are based on objective criteria," Hartman said. "It's not like
we go eenie, meenie, miney, moe."

Similar to a system used in Jefferson Parish, inmates are ranked on a
10-question form that includes the current charge, past arrests and
convictions, age, family ties, education level and employment record.

The system places a premium on keeping violent and repeat offenders
behind bars while they await trial.

Cooper, 45, a nonviolent offender with no recent arrests, received a
score of 4 on a 30-point scale, Hartman said, noting that a lower
score increases an inmate's chances for a bail reduction when the jail
fills to capacity.

Had Cooper been accused of a violent crime, his score would have been
14 points higher, which would not have qualified him for release,
Hartman said.

Sheriff Jack Strain said the system worked "exactly as it was supposed
to."

"When you triage inmates for release, you want to protect life first
and property second," he said. "Nobody wants to see a drug dealer on
the streets, but I can go to sleep tonight knowing that the violent
offenders are still in jail."

Strain said he didn't find it surprising that a suspect from a
high-profile case would be released.

"The system is very methodical and objective," he said. "If there's a
shock here, it's that he did not have a long criminal record, which
helped make him eligible for release."

The sheriff credited the Code 6 program with removing subjectivity
from decisions about who to release to ease jail crowding.

"Before, it was a shot in the dark with no rhyme or reason as to who
got out," Strain said. "People who shouldn't have spent a day in jail
wound up spending a year while others who were arrested on horrible
charges were marched out the door."

Cooper was one of six prisoners released Wednesday because of
overcrowding, Hartman said. Nine were released Thursday and 13 Friday,
Hartman said.

On Monday, the jail had 326 state prisoners, accounting for nearly
half of the jail's capacity, Hartman said. Most of the state prisoners
had recently been convicted and were awaiting transfer to Angola, he
said.

An ongoing jail expansion will lessen the crowding problem by
eventually increasing the capacity to about 1,100, Hartman said.

Following an eight-month investigation, Cooper was booked Feb. 4 on
numerous drug charges, including distributing OxyContin within 1,000
feet of a school. Cooper's bond was initially set at $800,000, but it
was later reduced by a judge to $175,000 cash or property in a
decision not linked to jail crowding, Hartman said.

OxyContin is a morphine-based painkiller commonly prescribed to
terminally ill cancer patients. It is one of the most heavily abused
prescription drugs and has been blamed for more than 100 overdose
deaths across the nation.

Authorities also arrested Cooper's live-in girlfriend, Callan Gill,
18, who allegedly acted as a lookout during drug deals.

Gill, whose bond was initially set at $500,000 cash or property, was
released Feb. 8 after a judge lowered it to a $100,000 signature bond.

Gill's mother, who asked not to be identified, said her daughter has
been back in contact with Cooper since his release.

"If I had known he was going to get out, I would have left her in jail
where he couldn't reach her," she said.

Meanwhile, Strain said the investigation, which included 24-hour video
surveillance on Cooper's home, remains open.

"Don't be naive enough to think that this guy will be let out and
we'll never see him again," he said.