EX-DARE OFFICER FAILED TO FOLLOW OWN TEACHINGS

Linda Hearn knew how to speak to children.

When Hearn warned them about the dangers of drugs, she seemed to understand
the temptations and peer pressure they faced. So popular was she among
students that they would ask impatiently: When is Deputy Hearn coming back?

Her style of teaching anti-drug classes in East County school districts
earned her the coveted nomination for statewide "DARE Officer of the Year"
in 1999, making her one of seven finalists chosen from some 1,000 contenders.

"The kids loved her here," said Stacy Coble, a secretary at Lakeview
Elementary School in Lakeside. "She would get at their level and just hang
out with them. They would ask for her all the time."

Yet even Hearn, who preached the anti-drug message to hundreds of youths,
was not immune to the temptations that face them.

She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs Jan. 2. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge last week.

The California Highway Patrol officer who made the stop, a drug recognition
expert, smelled a strong odor of alcohol and burnt marijuana in her 1989
Chevy pickup, according to a CHP report.

Hearn, 43, acknowledged to Officer Donald Coney that she had consumed two
"mudslides," a chocolatey alcoholic beverage, at a nearby friend's house,
and was on her way home when she was stopped at 8:30 p.m. on Los Coches
Road in Lakeside. She did not pass a field sobriety test, the report said.

Blood tests showed Hearn had a blood-alcohol level of 0.07, just below the
legal limit of 0.08. However, the report noted the presence of a small
amount of marijuana in her blood, which may have increased her impairment.

Hearn, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, pleaded guilty to a
lesser charge of alcohol-related reckless driving, a standard reduction for
first-time offenders that is commonly known as a "wet reckless" conviction,
prosecutors said.

She was sentenced to three years of probation, fined $900 and ordered to
complete an alcohol-education program, according to court records.

The Sheriff's Department fired Hearn on May 24. She is appealing the
termination to the Civil Service Commission, said Sheriff's Department
spokesman Lt. Ron Van Raaphorst. Van Raaphorst declined further comment
because personnel matters are confidential by law.

Hearn's attorney, Everett Bobbitt, also declined to comment.

Sheriff's Department sources said Hearn had been struggling with the
long-term illness of a family member. Her former colleagues declined to
talk about the arrest and firing.

Hearn, who has worked in the Ramona, Cajon Valley, Mountain Empire and
Lakeside Union school districts, was replaced by another deputy.

School officials and parents expressed shock and sadness when told
yesterday of Hearn's arrest. They offered high praise for her
accomplishments and sympathy for her plight.

"I know that she's affected a lot of lives in a very positive way," said
Jan Sherman, whose children graduated from the DARE program at Lakeside's
Riverview Elementary. "My daughters have learned a lot from her. Hopefully
this is kind of a wake-up call for her. I only wish her the best."

DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a program in which uniformed
deputies or officers teach weekly anti-drug lessons directly to
schoolchildren in their classrooms.

"She was an effective DARE officer," said Diana Adams, Lakeside Middle
School principal. "I think she cared very much about the kids she
interacted with. I'm just very sorry to hear that. She's a very strong,
very good lady. Something very tragic must have happened for her to make
those choices."

Steve Abercrombie, president of the California DARE Officers Association,
said he was disturbed by what he considers a precedent-setting situation
that could damage the program.

"That's pretty disappointing," Abercrombie said. "The big thing is, I hope
people realize police officers are human. We all make mistakes. This is the
first time I've heard of a DARE officer having a situation like this. There
are over 25,000 police officers teaching DARE. I hope people don't judge
all officers or the program based on one person."

Abercrombie said he met Hearn three years ago at a state DARE conference in
San Diego.

"The times I've met her, I know she's done a lot of community work," he
said. "She went above and beyond the job description. She seemed very
enthusiastic. It's really shocking. It makes me wonder was there really
more going on in her life to lead to something like this."