NO ONE TO ARREST IN TRUCK POT CASE

Police Don't Have Enough Evidence Regarding Drugs In City Vehicle

HUNTINGTON -- The Huntington Police Department did not find enough evidence
to arrest anyone in connection with the discovery of marijuana in a city of
Huntington truck, Capt. Mike Wilson said Friday.

Officers received an anonymous tip and discovered on Dec. 5 a plastic bag
of marijuana and a small amount of pills. The drugs were under the seat of
a pickup truck at the city garage on Veterans Memorial Boulevard.

The police department will consider any new information, but investigators
have exhausted all current leads and evidence, Wilson said.

"There's just not enough evidence to make any arrests at this time," he
said. "We can't determine whose it was or if someone placed it there."

Possession of the marijuana, with an estimated value of $25, would be a
misdemeanor charge, Wilson said. One difficulty in the investigation was
that several city employees had access to the truck, he said.

"Several people had keys, and even if it's assigned to one person, there's
a key at the garage that others can access," Wilson said.

Officers did not uncover any evidence that suggested the drugs were
planted, and there were no fingerprints on the plastic bag containing
marijuana, Wilson said.

"Either someone was very careful or someone knew it would be checked for
fingerprints and didn't want to leave a print on there," he said. "That's
the thing -- it would've been so easy to set someone up."

Although the investigation is closed, Huntington Mayor David Felinton said
he would be alert to any future problems. Employees who had access to the
truck received drug testing the day after the discovery, Jack Thornburgh,
director of administration and finance, said. All tests were negative, he said.

Employees who must have commercial driver's licenses and employees who are
classified as safety-sensitive, such as police officers, firefighters,
mechanics and certain supervisors, are subject to random drug testing
monthly, said Sherry Lewis, personnel director.

Between 15 and 19 employees are tested monthly, Lewis said. The last time a
test came back positive was this past November, she said. Huntington has a
zero-tolerance policy. Anyone who tested positive in 2001 is no longer a
city employee, Lewis said.

"The disciplinary action that's enacted is suspension pending termination
by the mayor," she said. "Once we have written confirmation of the test
results, then the mayor can proceed with discharging the employee, and that
is what would occur."

Employees who test positive also have the option of resigning during the
time period between when they take the drug test and when the city receives
written confirmation of the results, Lewis said.

She declined to say in which department the employee who tested positive worked.