TEEN WHO REPORTED PARENTS TO GO HOME

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - A 16-year-old girl who police say tipped them to
numerous marijuana plants at her home can return there despite a pending
drug case against her parents, a judge has ruled.

In reuniting the family, Montgomery County District Court Judge C.J.
Vaughey ordered Robert Alvarez and Kathleen Tucker from discussing the case
with their daughter, Kerry, who has been staying with friends since her
parents' arrests last month.

``The most important thing, I think, is the child and the stability of this
child,'' Vaughey said, though he said he harbors ``some reservations''
about the arrangement.

Alvarez, a former U.S. Department of Energy senior policy adviser, and
Tucker, a prominent nuclear activist, were arrested after Kerry showed
police photos of the 69 marijuana plants at her home, court documents say.

Vaughey issued the ruling Monday after the prosecution and defense agreed
that the teen-ager had nowhere to stay long-term. Defense attorney Steven
Kupferberg said he spoke with Kerry Tucker twice, and she told him she
wanted to return home to her parents.

``The state doesn't have an interest in keeping a 16-year-old child away
from her parents,'' Deputy State's Attorney Katherine Winfree said.

Alvarez was fired after his arrest, said Kupferberg, who represented both
parents in Monday's custody proceeding but is only defending Kathleen
Tucker on the criminal charges. Alvarez has another lawyer.

In addition to forbidding the family from discussing the case, Vaughey
warned the parents not to keep illegal drugs in the house and told them to
secure all prescription drugs.