DISABLED MOTHER EVICTED OVER SON'S DRUG CHARGES

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Authorities have tossed a drug suspect's wheelchair-bound
mother out of her home for 60 days, boarding up the dwelling's windows and
doors after repeatedly finding drugs at the house.

"This wasn't some Draconian measure on the part of law enforcement," said
Boone County prosecutor Kevin Crane, who defended the decision to evict
59-year-old Dorothy Allen from her home.

"The issue was, we notified her after the first search warrant. She had
conversations with police to try to make sure the problem could be
resolved, short of this measure," Crane said last week. "And we waited. And
there were more drugs."

The court order evicting Allen from her home prohibits her or anyone else
from using or accessing the residence for 60 days. That includes her son,
Wayne D. Allen, 25, who faces felony drug possession charges in Boone
County and other charges in Miller County.

For the time being, Dorothy Allen, who has used the wheelchair since
suffering a stroke, is staying with a family member, said her attorney, Dan
Viets.

In an interview, Viets said, "I think the law was intended for landlords
who rent premises to people who use them illegally. She's being punished
for what other people did."

According to court records, police searched the home three times since May
2000, finding crack cocaine and marijuana.