CHATHAM SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES ATTEMPT TO LEAD YOUNG PEOPLE DOWN THE RIGHT ROAD

Chatham County Sheriff's Deputy and drug-sniffing dog-handler Steve
Darnstaedt began his presentation Tuesday afternoon to Explorers Post
876 at teen information day by asking for a show of hands.

"How many of you know what these are?" Darnstaedt asked the group,
holding up a small, yellow, plastic pouch he said is used to hold
"dime" sizes of drugs.

The majority of the group raised their hands, as they did when they
were asked whether they knew someone who had a gun or someone who was
affiliated with a gang.

"This is why we need to get into the neighborhoods," said Chatham
County Sheriff's Deputy Ron Robinson, who leads the Explorers program.

The day at the Kayton Frazier Boys & Girls Club focused on drug
recognition, substance abuse, street gangs and life success, Robinson said.

The group of 18 people in the post, ages 14 to 21, signed up to learn
more about law enforcement and gain life skills. The program is more
than a mere parade of deputies and their tools of the trade, Robinson said.

"We teach life skills," he said. "If we get them in here young
enough, we can point them away and keep them on the right track."

Robinson said the majority of his Explorers have clean criminal
records. Those who have been convicted of a crime are considered and
monitored closely, he said.

Inspiration from the program was prevalent in many of those donning
the Explorers' beige polo shirt. Explorers President Lisa Rogers, 15,
stared intently as Chatham County Sheriff's Cpl. Malachi, a
2-year-old Labrador-boxer mix, sniffed for a cocaine-scented cotton
swab hidden in a folding chair under the guidance of his handler, Darnstaedt.

"I want to be a veterinarian," Rogers said. "So it will be fun to
watch the dog. If that doesn't work out, I can always go into law enforcement."

Edna Simmons, 18, who is the group's treasurer, said the information
day taught her the dangers of drug use and why to stay away from
certain people.

"The one thing that stood out was the drug use," she said.

During Darnstaedt's presentation, Robinson found an object that
looked like a smoked marijuana cigarette. As Robinson took the
attention of the audience, Darnstaedt applied latex gloves, examined
the object, and determined it was a type of tobacco cigarette
marijuana smokers use to throw investigators off.

Still, it prompted a wake-up call for the Explorers.

"We're here so that you can either go the right way or the left way,"
Robinson told the group. "The left way will lead you to court or" to
a youth detention center.