SANFORD CITIZENS FIGHT ILLEGAL DRUGS

School's Burning Prompted Action By Community

A concrete staircase with rusted metal handrails is about all that remains
of the Sanford School. Many residents of this Covington County community
have speculated that an intentionally set fire which destroyed the school in
January was started by drug dealers.

And while law enforcement officials haven't ruled that to be the case, the
fire has redoubled efforts in Sanford to rid the community of drugs. "People
don't stick together anymore," said Shelton Adams of his community. "But
this one has this time. Especially with the school burning. It may not be
directly related to drugs, but it's intertwined." In December, residents of
the Sanford community began having monthly meetings to determine the best
way to stop what they say is a growing methamphetamine and drug problem.

Then the school burned in January.

With law enforcement officials treating the blaze that gutted the brick
building as a case of arson, the meetings seemed to gain more attention,
drawing 250 to 400 residents, organizers said.

"As far as I know, this is the only community around having regular
scheduled meetings in their community to discuss the drug problem and the
best way to combat it," said Mike Aldrige of the Mississippi Bureau of
Narcotics. "It's significant that they're doing this."

Sanford resident John Fowlkes helped organize the first meeting after
becoming frustrated with what he saw. He said the meetings were one way that
residents could hold elected officials and law enforcement accountable for
their role in stopping the drug issue.

"There just wasn't anything being done," he said. "Drugs were being sold
right out in the open in the Sanford area."

Aldrige said he doesn't think that Sanford or Covington County's drug
problem is worse than other areas in the Pine Belt. He said the bureau
raided one methamphetamine lab in Sanford so far this year.

In 2001, MBN investigated a total of 330 methamphetamine cases in South
Mississippi alone.

"If you sit back and consider the drug problem in your community as somebody
else's problem, then it will only get worse," Aldrige said. "These folks
have looked everywhere for help and they don't care who helps them, as long
as they get some help fighting."

Aldrige said that rural communities are experiencing problems with
methamphetamine labs because the drug is easy to manufacture.

"It's a relatively low-cost drug and is addictive," he said. "Once you're
hooked, there's a demand, and demand keeps increasing. So it continues. Once
it gets a foothold in the community, it spreads easily." Fowlkes said the
community now has more officers, both from the sheriff's department and the
bureau patrolling in the area.

He credits the meetings for bringing that attention to the community.

"It has cleaned up some and moved them around," he said. "But it's a huge
problem and it's gotten really bad in the last two or three years. It's
going to take time to clean it up."

The meetings are held on either the second or third Monday night each month
at the local community center. Fowlkes said the nights are scheduled around
when invited speakers can attend.

He said the community must also address how law enforcement and the court
system are working together, to make sure that those arrested on drug
charges don't end up back out on the street a week later.

"They have to get together," Fowlkes said. "If people feel like nothing is
going to happen, they won't get involved and that makes us all the losers."

Residents began offering a $2,500 reward in March for the arrest and
conviction of the responsible party for the fire.

Covington County Sheriff Stan Smith couldn't be reached for comment, but he
has said his department hasn't been able to prove the fire was drug-related.

That's not stopping residents' speculation.

"They were trying to get the attention of the community," said Sanford
resident Sadie Craft. "They wanted us to stop having our meetings."

But now the meetings are even leading to other projects, such as putting
billboards on U.S. 49 to help get parents involved in the fight against
drugs.

"They've got to know what to look for," Fowlkes said. "Things like if their
child has rapid weight loss or erratic behavior. They're probably on drugs
and they need help. They can't wait until their kids overdose on crystal
meth or it's too late."