
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 9, 1994                   TAG: 9407120084
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WYTHE GETS $150,000 GRANT TO FIGHT DRUGS

WYTHEVILLE - The Wythe County Sheriff's Office will get a state grant of nearly $150,000 under a new program targeting illegal drugs.

It is one of 28 grants approved under the Drug Enforcement Assistance program.

"We got the largest one in the state," Sheriff Wayne Pike said. It will cover additional people, vehicles and equipment. "It's also going to give us money for a special prosecutor" for drug cases, he said.

The program is funded by a $2 court fee collected by the state since 1990 from each defendant convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. It has raised about $2.4 million.

"Your application clearly identified the need in Wythe County, and the program described in your submission demonstrates your willingness to initiate an effective response to that need," Gov. George Allen wrote in a letter to Pike.

Pike said he would put his more experienced people into the program and promote part-time people or hire new ones to replace them.

"I've got a lot of work to do yet, and I hope to stretch this into a three-year program," he said.

by CNB