POWER OF DRUGS

WHAT WOULD TONY Romo Jr.'s life have been like if he had never gotten
involved with illegal drugs? We will never know. He is a pitiful example of
the destructive power that drugs have over criminals.

The 40-year-old Romo was sentenced to 80 years and to life in prison
recently for robberies. He pleaded guilty to forcing his way into the home
of a 68-year-old woman and her disabled husband at gunpoint and robbing
them of $50, and to robbing a college student at gunpoint in her apartment.

His criminal career goes beyond that. He made a statement to police
regarding several convenience store robberies, and he has also been
convicted of burglaries.

This week, he was indicted by a grand jury for aggravated sexual assault in
connection with the rape of a 14-year-old girl who was accosted while she
was walking to junior high school. He was identified as a suspect through a
DNA profile submitted to the state's Combined DNA Index System, which is
another good example of how citizens are being well-served by DNA testing.

His statement to police about his crimes revealed the power that drugs had
over him. He told police he stole $9 in a convenience store robbery and
used it to buy a $10 rock of crack cocaine. While he was high from that
drug purchase, he committed another robbery. It was a brutal life for him,
and he brought trauma into the lives of the people he victimized.

Children must learn how dangerous illegal drugs are, but they are not going
to know it unless someone tells them.

People who love children in their lives need to warn them about drugs.
Timely words of warning about a terrible danger could save them from a life
of ruin.