ALLEGED OXY DEALER FROM BUSH RELEASED FROM JAIL

BUSH - A concerned Bush resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said she
couldn't believe the man she saw checking under the hood of his truck last
week was Gary Cooper.

Cooper was arrested amidst much fanfare two weeks ago and called, by the
head of the St. Tammany Narcotics Task Force, one of the region's major
OxyContin distributors. He'd allegedly been caught with 850 Oxy tablets,
and more than 50 prescription bottles of illegal drugs, a pound of
marijuana, seven guns and more than $1,000 cash.

Cooper reportedly had a trailer full of items that law enforcement agents
believed might have been stolen and traded for drugs, and at least five
bank accounts that police believed he used to launder drug money.

The arrest marked the culmination of an eight-month investigation in which
hundreds of people, including teenagers, were reportedly seen buying drugs
from Cooper.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's office had their suspect in custody. But
thanks to overcrowding at the parish jail in Covington, the alleged
big-time drug dealer was back on the streets last Wednesday.

Although his bond was initially set at $800,000 cash or property, Cooper
was released on a $175,000 signature bond that reportedly required no money
down.

The reduction was due to overcrowding at the 676-bed jail, which prompted
the implementation of an early release rating system last year. The "Code
6" system was reportedly designed to keep the most dangerous and repeat
offenders behind bars.

Cooper was listed as a non-violent offender with no recent arrests. He was
given a score of 4 on a 30-point scale. And the low number gave him a good
chance for bail reduction when the jail neared capacity.

Cooper was one of six prisoners released Wednesday due to overcrowding.
Nine more were reportedly set free Thursday and 13 Friday for the same reason.

The Bush woman, who claims Cooper has contributed to the addictions of
numerous Bush youth, for starters, said she didn't understand. She said a
drug dealer is just as much a threat to life as someone who fires a weapon
during the course of a crime.

Jail authorities reportedly said the "Code 6" system is methodical and
objective.

An ongoing jail expansion will eventually increase capacity to 1,100 inmates.

On Monday nearly half of the inmate population was reportedly made up of
state prisoners, who the parish gets paid to house.