CHARGES FILED IN NIXA DRUG CASES

The Town Shocked By Arrests Of Four High School Students And Two Adults

NIXA - Four days after authorities arrested four Nixa High school students
on drug violations, one has been criminally charged and two face juvenile
charges.

The fourth, an 18-year-old, has yet to be charged. Christian County
Prosecutor Susan Spence said she's waiting for lab tests to come back
before deciding whether to charge him.

The students were arrested - along with two other adults and two juveniles
- - early Saturday after authorities served a search warrant at a house in
the 200 block of North Gregg Road and found methamphetamine, marijuana and
cocaine. Authorities searched the house after several weeks of investigation.

The bust has shaken the community around the school, where three students
are suspended from sports and extracurricular activities. They are members
of the basketball team

"It's been a blow, but we're going to try and rise above it," said Nixa
High School Athletic Director Wayne Haynes.

As detectives continued Wednesday to work the investigation - which grew
after Saturday's search - Spence charged three of the four adults police
had arrested. Greg Veach, 17, is the only student to be charged so far.
Prosecutors say he had a glass marijuana pipe in his possession early
Saturday and was charged with a misdemeanor paraphernalia violation.

Nathan Swearengin, 19, a Nixa resident who attends college out of state,
was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. Authorities
said the substance is cocaine.

The third adult charged Wednesday is the mother of the two juveniles, ages
15 and 16, who were arrested Saturday and are in juvenile custody. The
woman, who was in Arkansas at the time the search warrant was served, is
charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, but is not
named because to do so would identify her sons. The News-Leader does not
identify juveniles who are charged with a crime.

After the investigation is complete, officials should have a better idea of
how wide the drug problem extends in Nixa and among young people, said Nixa
Police Chief Bruce Belin.

"Evidently we have a drug problem," he said. "Our continued investigation
will tell us how big of a problem. ... This disturbs me greatly. We're
going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of it."

One big concern is the age of the suspects arrested and the range of drugs
confiscated. Meth and cocaine are drugs authorities typically see
associated with people 10 or more years older than the group of students.

Three of the students are suspended from extracurricular activities for 28
days. The suspension was mandated by a citizenship agreement that all
students who participate in school-sponsored sports or activities are
required to sign.

The students "were somewhere they shouldn't be," said Nixa superintendent
Stephen Kleinsmith. "They were around stuff they shouldn't be around.
Because of that, we suspended them."

One additional student is being investigated, but has not been suspended
from any activities, Kleinsmith said.

As Nixa residents continue to hear updates on the arrests and drug
investigation, some believe the punishment is not strict enough.

"If they're found guilty, I think they should be kicked out of the
schools," said Bob Vaughan, while talking with other men at a local
business Wednesday.

Jed Forrester said he believes if kids are getting drugs on the street,
drugs are probably in the schools.

"To me, having drugs is no different than carrying a weapon in school,"
Forrester said.

However the students' cases are resolved, the school district cannot take
any official action because the offense did not take place on school
property, Kleinsmith said.

Saturday's search warrant was the result of weeks of investigation by Nixa
police and officers with the area drug task force. Belin said several weeks
ago, the department received information about the North Gregg home. The
tip indicated several people were seen coming in and out of the home, many
of them students.

"We received information that drugs were coming out of the home," Belin
said. "We began to investigate."

Kleinsmith admits the Nixa school district faces the occasional drug
problem, but added that Nixa's problems aren't much different from similar
districts. His district's challenges are no less or greater than any other
community of comparable size or location, Kleinsmith said.

"This war on drugs ... it's worldwide. No one is exempt," the
superintendent said. "Anyone who says it's not happening in their schools
or in their community is naive. ... This does not change the fact that Nixa
is a safe, progressive community."