DRUG CASES BOOST BARRON COUNTY FELONY COUNT

An increase in drug busts has bumped up the number of felony cases
significantly in Barron County, officials say.

If prosecutors continue filing charges at their current pace, the county
will see 50 percent more felonies by the end of this year compared with
last year's totals.

Barron County District Attorney James Babler had 171 felony cases for all
of 2001. Bable already has had 129 cases through the end of June this year.

"If this continues we'll have 258 cases by the end of the year," he said.

Babler said he attributes the rise in felony cases to a jump in
methamphetamine-related busts.

Last year Babler's office tried only a handful of meth cases. Only halfway
through this year, Babler has charged 26 people with delivering,
manufacturing or possessing the dangerous drug.

Four of those cases have included theft of anhydrous ammonia and illegal
possession of ammonia.

Babler said there are only two things he knows anhydrous ammonia can be
used for: agricultural fertilizer and manufacturing methamphetamine.

Because meth is becoming a more popular drug in northwestern Wisconsin and
the problem is getting more publicity, more people are paying closer
attention to things that look out of place, Babler said.

Cindy Giese, a special agent in charge of the Eau Claire office for the
Department of Justice's narcotics division, said not only has the public
become more aware of the drug and its dangers, but more law enforcement
officials are being trained to spot meth labs.

"People are getting suspect of things," Giese said.

For more on this story, see today's Leader-Telegram.