STUDENT ARRESTED AT WCHS FOR POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

The focus on drug education in the White County School system has been one
of the top priorities of local law enforcement. However, one teenager
apparently ignored the warnings and found himself in the booking room of
the White County Jail.

Samuel Scavo, 18, was arrested by White County High School resource
officer, Doug Goff, who is a deputy with White County Sheriff Department.
Goff said a student alerted him about a potential problem with a student in
Fredrick Harding's classroom.

According to Goff, he came in contact with Scavo, who had allegedly been
breaking up marijuana to roll and had reportedly already smoked some of the
controlled substance.

Goff searched Scavo's vehicle and found drug paraphernalia and a broken
flask. Scavo told Goff he had broken the flask in class and did not want to
pay for it. Therefore, he hid the flask in his car.

Goff said he did not want parents to feel school was unsafe for their
children. "If we get any indication of drugs, we 'nip it in the bud,'" he
stated. "We do a lot of searches. There are some problems, but we are on
top of them."

Charles Dycus was in a meeting and unavailable for comment at the time of
The Expositor's interview with Goff. However, Goff was given permission by
Dycus to relay a message to The Expositor. According to Goff, Dycus said
this was an isolated incident and he wanted to assure the community the
school was doing their utmost to protect the students.

According to Goff, Scavo was charged with possession of schedule IV
(marijuana) and theft under $500. He has been released on a $1,000 bond,
with his court date set for Jan. 10, 2003.