DRUG SWEEP AT DAVIESS COUNTY SCHOOLS CHARGES 6 STUDENTS

April Fool's Day was no joke for six students at Daviess County Public
Schools who were charged with drug crimes after a police sweep of the
county's three high schools.

Unlike past drug searches, school administrators encouraged police to widen
their typical search of lockers and bookbags to include student vehicles
parked on the school lots.

Altogether the sweeps at Apollo, Daviess County and Beacon Central schools
produced two prescription pain pills and less than a quarter-ounce of
marijuana -- slightly less than what would fill a quarter of a coffee mug.
All of the marijuana was found in parked vehicles, and police do not
believe any of it was intended for sale or trafficking.

Searches of the school and parking lots located nothing at Apollo. Two
Daviess County High School students were charged and four students at
Beacon Central were charged. The Messenger-Inquirer chose not to identify
the students because people accused of such crimes would not normally be
named in the newspaper until court action.

Daviess County Superintendent Stu Silberman said sweeps are conducted at
least once each year at the county schools.

"Bottom line, we hope that this continues to send out a pretty powerful
message that we won't tolerate drugs on our campuses," Silberman said. "We
may have additional sweeps this year."

Thursday's drug search was the first time that parking lots were also
inspected by police and narcotic-detecting search dogs, Silberman said. No
arrests resulted from the school year's first sweep last fall, Silberman said.

Silberman said he was pleased that no drugs were found at Apollo, a school
with 1,400 students, and that no drugs were found inside any of the schools
except two klonopin pills. Klonopin is an anticonvulsant and antianxiety
drug primarily used to treat seizures.

Five students were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Three
of those students were also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia
after pipes, rolling papers or scissors were also found in vehicles.

Only one student, a 17-year-old Daviess County High School girl, was
charged with a felony in connection with the the klonopin. She was charged
with second-degree possession of a controlled substance.

Six search dogs were used -- one each from the Daviess County Sheriff's
Department, Owensboro Police Department and Lewisport Police Department and
three from the Kentucky State Police.

The operation involved a minor inconvenience to students who had to remain
in class until police finished searching the building. Students had to stay
inside the building until police finished searching the school grounds.

Possessing any amount of marijuana . The tiny butt of a smoked marijuana
cigarette was pulled from a car ashtray and resulted in one charge filed
Thursday.

The largest single amount, still a small quantity, was seized from a Beacon
Central student who had about 15 grams of marijuana and a baggie containing
about 10 roaches, or butts of smoked marijuana cigarettes.

Daviess County Sheriff's Deputy Kent Taul, who searched for drugs with his
police dog, Seigo, said the school is wise to conduct periodic searches.

"It's a forward-thinking and positive step to keeping it out of school,"
Taul said. "They don't want any of it on their property."