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Newsbrief:
Illinois
DA
Makes
Woman
Meth
Poster
Child
3/14/03
Pekin, IL, is a small town,
and Penny Wood is finding out the hard way. Last month, Wood, a long-time
methamphetamine user with previous convictions facing up to 30 years for
drug conspiracy, agreed as part of a plea bargain to allow before and after
images of her to be used as part of Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart
Umholtz's personal war on speed. "It was to be used for drug education
purposes only, to keep kids off drugs," Wood told the Chicago Tribune this
week. "Because that picture would. If that picture doesn't
shock a child, I don't know what will." (Visit http://www.tazewell.com/states%20attorney/meth_flyer.html
to view the paired images.)
But while Wood thought her
anonymity would be protected and the images not widely disseminated, that
has not been the case. She has been the butt of jokes on local radio
stations, her grandchildren have worried aloud that the photos will show
up at their schools, and the enthusiastic Umholtz has had them posted at
the local Boys & Girls Club, the probation office and on his web site.
While Umholtz has abided by his agreement not to release Wood's name, local
newspapers have not felt bound to honor that agreement.
Now Wood wants it stopped
and is threatening a lawsuit, but Umholtz is unmoved. He told the
Peoria Journal the plea agreement did not specify how the photos would
be used, and besides, they effectively scared kids away from meth, he said.
"I have no problem trying
to help keep people off drugs because it really ruined by life completely,"
said Wood, who is currently on probation. "But they went about it
wrong. I've paid for my mistakes. I don't want my grandchildren
paying for my mistakes."
While the before and after
photos of Wood are certainly sobering, they are less so than the fact the
State's Attorney Umholtz is able to threaten someone with 30 years in prison
on a drug charge, then turn around and hand out probation in return for
a pair of pictures.
-- END --
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Issue #278, 3/14/03
Federal Judge Refuses to Block Potential Federal Arrests of California Medical Marijuana Patients | No Comment: Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General of UN Office on Drugs and Crime Addresses Swedes on Marijuana | Funding Crunch Hits Drug Reform Movement | DRCNet Interview: Adam Jones, Teachers Against Prohibition | DRCNet Book Review: "Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder, and Family," Charles Bowden (2002, Simon & Schuster, $27.00 HB) | Alert: HEA Reform Legislation Re-filed, Needs Your Support | Newsbrief: Mexican Anti-Drug Choppers Shot Down, Five Dead | Newsbrief: Colorado Kiddie Meth Bill Passes, Awaits Governor's Signature | Newsbrief: Colorado Legislators Ponder Plan to Cut Nonviolent Offender, Drug Sentences | Newsbrief: Illinois DA Makes Woman Meth Poster Child | Newsbrief: House Panel Goes After Federal Judge for Being Too Lenient on Drug Offenders | Newsbrief: Who Wants Drug Testing? Not Pennsylvania Cops, Not Colorado Teachers | Newsbrief: New Zealand Moves to Heighten Methamphetamine Penalties -- Life Sentences for Some Offenses | The Reformer's Calendar
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