PRISON DRUGS FOUND

(Hominy) -- A major drug sweep Tuesday at the Dick Conner Correctional
Center turned up 22 inmates who tested positive for drugs and 47
inmates who refused testing.

"That's about 5.5 percent of the population," said Jerry Massie, state
Corrections Department spokesman.

Inmates who tested positive or who refused to participate in the urine
testing will face misconduct counts, he said. That could end up making
them serve a greater percentage of their sentences or serve their
sentences in higher security.

Massie said random drug testing in the state's penal facilities began
about 13 months ago and has leveled off to about 5 percent to 6
percent testing positive.

Three caps of marijuana were found on one inmate, he said. A cap of
marijuana is about half a gram and about the size of a fingertip,
Massie said.

Four knives also were found in the sweep, he said.

All 1,245 inmates were ordered to be tested, and four drug dog teams
searched all buildings and grounds as well as all vehicles entering
the medium-security prison, Massie said.

About 80 additional staff from other prisons were called in to help in
the sweep, he said.

All inmates were confined to their cells or living areas at about 8
a.m. to complete the sweep. Massie said he knew of no specific reason
that Conner was chosen for the first drug sweep of the agency's Phase
II drug interdiction effort.

Massie said the 5.5 percent positive on tests may mean that drug
interdiction efforts have had an impact.