| SC treasurer back from rehab in Ariz.; court appearance scheduled
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Suspended state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, back in South Carolina following a 30-day stint at a rehab program in Arizona, was scheduled to make his first court appearance on a federal cocaine charge Tuesday. Ravenel's attorneys entered a not guilty plea earlier for the 44-year-old multimillionaire developer earlier this month. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. Prosecutors have said Ravenel shared the cocaine with his friends and did not sell the drug. U.S. Magistrate Joseph McCrorey ordered Ravenel to appear in court within 48 hours of being released from treatment at the Sierra Tucson Center in Catalina, north of Tucson. It is a psychiatric hospital specializing in addiction and behavioral disorder treatment.
Prescription Drug Abuse Grows Among Teens
Most teens know the danger of illegal street drugs. Now more are turning to prescription drugs because they think they are a safe alternative. Vicadin, Xanax and Oxycotin are all prescription drugs with valid medical purposes but now their names are maybe known more for illegal activity and addiction especially among teenagers. "Prescription drugs are the number one cause of the problems we have with drugs on our streets," District Attorney for the 4th Judicial District Jerry Jones said. Prescription drugs rank second to marijuana for teen drug abuse. According to a study ordered by the office of President George W. Bush, one in five teenagers report abusing prescription drugs. 47 percent say they get the drugs from relatives or friends. 39 percent say its easy to get the drugs online. "The biggest drug dealer in Ouachita Parish is this computer sitting next to me," Jones said.
In Iraq & Elsewhere, Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Soldier On
SAN ANTONIO -- When he came to, the Marine's arm hung lamely. It was broken by ball bearings hurled so hard from a suicide bomb that they embedded themselves in his gun as well as his body. Yet Brendan Poelaert's thoughts quickly turned to his patrol dog. The powerful Belgian Malinois named Flapoor had served him as partner and protector for the past four months in Iraq. Now the dog staggered a few steps along the Ramadi street, then stared blankly. Blood poured from his chest. .
Sentencing for Bike Path Rapist
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The man dubbed "the bike path rapist" received his sentence Tuesday for the deaths of three women in Buffalo. Altemio Sanchez admitted to killing University of Buffalo student Linda Yalem 17 years ago on the Amherst bike path, Majane Mazur in Buffalo, and then Joan Diver, a mother of four, on the Clarence bike path last September. Sanchez was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison. At the sentencing, Sanchez made a brief statement, expressing sorrow for his crimes. ll/yc Erie County Sheriff
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Celebs aside, rehab can work
Lindsay Lohan is back in rehab. It's not surprising, really. How serious can one be about overcoming addiction when one jumps back into the Los Angeles party circuit wearing an ankle bracelet designed to measure one's blood-alcohol content days after checking out of a chic substance-abuse treatment center? Lohan faces new charges of misdemeanor drunken driving, felony cocaine possession and driving on a suspended license following an incident early Tuesday morning. She had been out of rehab less than two weeks. It is not unusual to relapse in substance abuse recovery, celebrity or no. Actor Daniel Baldwin, who allowed ABC News' "Primetime" to tape various stages of his three-month drug-treatment program in Malibu, Calif., reportedly tried nine other treatment centers in his battle with addiction.
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