FAMILY OF DECEASED MAN SPREADS NEWS ABOUT HEROIN

One family that has dealt with dark side of heroin now is spreading
awareness in an effort to help others.

It's been almost one year since Zachary Davis of Dover died from a
heroin overdose on the grounds of his family's Dover area business,
Breitenbach Winery.

Davis' mother, Anita; grandfather, Dalton "Duke" Bixler; and former
girlfriend, Lindsey Lewis, continue to see the devastating effects of
drugs on young people in the area while they attempt to deal with the
death of Zachary, who died at the age of 24 on Nov. 12, 2005.

Anita Davis has started a support group for area families of drug
addicts. Although the group had a lot of people attending at first,
only about five families continue to attend the group regularly. All
of them have a family member with a heroin addiction. The support
group involves a 12-step program.

Lewis and Nicholas Davis, Zachary's 15-year-old brother, soon will
speak to Dover Middle School students about Zachary's struggles with
heroin. Lewis said she hopes to have the opportunity to speak in
other school districts as well.

Bixler has watched carefully the recent criminal case of the man who
the family believes gave Zachary the heroin he took the day he died.
Law enforcement officials have said, however, the man will not be
charged because Zachary had other drugs in his system at the time of
his death. That man is in prison for an unrelated drug case.

The family continues to read and research anything they can find out
about heroin. Anita Davis has any news story in the country e-mailed
to her anytime it involves heroin. Bixler keeps a briefcase filled
with newspaper clippings of drug-related stories.

Bixler said a Times-Reporter story that detailed the effects of
heroin and relived some of the final days of Zachary's death has
reached many people. Bixler said he gets comments from business
suppliers all over the country.

"For people to know this is our problem, they are just dismayed and
ask how could this be?" said Bixler. He said people think of Dover as
a picturesque rural community with no drug problems.

The three agreed that drugs continue to plague the area. Lewis said
she still hears about daily drug dealings through Zachary's former friends.

"I think (drugs) are just as much around," said Bixler. "It's just
different people using them."

Bixler explained that although some drugs are considered
"recreational," heroin is not.

"I think parents should be very wary of marijuana," he said. "It's
the beginning of all drug addictions."

Anita Davis and Bixler said those convicted of using drugs should go
to jail instead of being free to attend treatment. Zachary was in
jail several times for crimes relating to his heroin addiction.

He walked away from five heroin treatment centers, they noted,
because drug rehabilitation facilities don't keep their clients locked inside.

"To come to the point where you turn your child in and realize
they're better off in jail than on the streets - that's hard to do,"
said Anita Davis.

"We know for a fact that the only safe place is jail," Bixler said.
"It's the only place where it's somewhat safe but there's drugs in there too.

"When you're talking about heroin, you're talking about life and death."