KANAWHA METH DOCKETS OVERFLOW; FUNDS NEEDED, PROSECUTOR ADVISES

More than 60 Kanawha County felony criminal cases involve people facing
methamphetamine-related charges, and prosecutors are getting overloaded,
says Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Clifford. Clifford wants to
add a drug prosecutor to his staff, and is trying to get a federal grant or
other funding to help pay for such a position - about $35,000 to $40,000 in
salary, plus benefits. He has approached U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner about
getting money from the U.S. Department of Justice. Warner said he couldn't
comment about the request, but said his office receives "hundreds" of
similar requests every year for help with federal funding. He said he
always hopes to be able to help local law enforcement. "I think the best
law enforcement is joint law enforcement," Warner said. But Clifford isn't
optimistic that his office will receive the federal money. "The problem is
it doesn't look real promising that we'll be able to get it because of the
federal budget crisis," Clifford said. "But we're going to at least try."

Clifford said he went to the federal government because he didn't think
Kanawha County commissioners, with whom he has a running feud, would give
him the money.

"I couldn't get No. 2 lead pencils out of the County Commission right now,
so I approached Kasey to see if there was any availability," Clifford said.
A new state law gives police the ability to charge people for possessing
otherwise legal materials, if police believe they intend to make meth.
Prosecutors look for at least a sign that the person has a workable meth
cooker before they prosecute, Clifford said.

Numerous people have been arrested, including some who tried to buy mass
quantities of common meth ingredients from drug and discount department
stores. "It takes a lot of lawyer time for a very special reason, the
things that can cause someone to be charged under that statute involve
possession of otherwise legal items," Clifford said.

In Kanawha County, Clifford said drug officers and other police have
already made more than 60 arrests under the new meth law. Only one person
has been indicted on the charge in Kanawha County, and another pleaded
guilty earlier this week. "With this new source of crime in Kanawha County
we're going to need additional help," Clifford said.

The former state law required someone to actually possess meth before they
could be charged. Law enforcement officers have praised the new law, saying
it gives them more freedom in fighting the growing problem with the
often-homemade drug.

Clifford said more indictments are likely as more cases make it to grand
jurors. To contact staff writer Charles Shumaker, use e-mail or call 348-1240.