SHERIFF SAYS JOHNSTON DRUG-EVIDENCE TESTS TO BE EXPEDITED

Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said Tuesday he will speed up the
testing of suspected drugs after a student was kicked out of her high
school for having a substance mistakenly thought to be marijuana.

Bizzell conducted an internal investigation in the case of Laura Howard, a
Smithfield-Selma High School student who was cleared when a drug test
showed that a cigar found in her car contained no illegal substances.
Howard was suspended Nov. 15 after a drug-sniffing dog alerted its handlers
about the cigar. The high school senior later attended an alternative
school until school officials learned of the test results in late February
and allowed her to return to Smithfield-Selma this month.

"It became abundantly clear that the way things used to be done is no
longer acceptable," Bizzell said. "It took 34 days to get the drugs to the
lab for testing and 64 days for the results to be returned from the SBI
lab. This is just not acceptable."

Bizzell said that now, when his department receives suspected drugs
involving a student or a juvenile, a deputy will immediately transport the
evidence to Raleigh to get the results quickly. Previously, sheriff's
deputies waited until they had enough evidence from a number of cases to
justify a run to Raleigh.

"To me, it's unacceptable, and I can assure you it will not happen in the
future," Bizzell said.

Bizzell has also written to Attorney General Mike Easley, asking that the
State Bureau of Investigation return drug test results within 30 days for
normal cases and within 24 hours for cases involving students or juveniles.

Cari Hepp, a spokeswoman for Easley, said the department had forwarded the
letter to the SBI and hoped to respond by the end of the week.

The cigar from Howard's car was in the possession of the sheriff's office
from Nov. 12 until the SBI lab received it Dec. 16. The lab tested it Jan.
19, when it was found to contain no illegal substance, and mailed the test
results back Feb. 14. Bizzell said his department received the report Feb.
18. Howard learned of the negative test results Feb. 29.

Howard said that she has received a letter from her school indicating her
record has been expunged, but she said she is still trying to work out her
grades and absences. She said she was pleased with Bizzell's changes.

"I think it will definitely benefit people just because I didn't know for
four months. I also wondered why it took so long," she said.

School officials maintain there is nothing wrong with the district policy,
which requires a 10-day suspension for students suspected of having drugs
and recommends expulsion for the remainder of the school year.
Superintendent Jim Causby said he had not heard the board express any
interest in changing the policy. He added he approved of Bizzell's effort
to quicken the process for testing drugs.