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Monday, June 18, 2007

Ind. Courts - "Treatment detours delay meth proceedings"

"Treatment detours delay meth proceedings" is the headline to this story by Kate Braser in today's Evansville Courier & Press. Some quotes:

Shortly after Evansville attorney Brad Happe was accused of having a meth lab in his law office and apartment, his path through the local criminal justice system detoured to an inpatient treatment center in an upscale Chicago neighborhood.

Another local attorney, Teresa Perry, was also recently accused of having a meth lab in her home. Perry was released from jail on bond and driven by family hours away from the county to a treatment center with a setting described on its Web site as "serene," on 13 acres in Johnson County, Ind. * * *

[Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor Dan Miller] explained sometimes defendants with private attorneys "can afford to wait out the prosecution" from reaching trial by keeping their case going with motions and treatment-related delays. * * *

The Rev. Jeffrey Stratton, pastor of American Baptist East Church, testified on behalf of Perry at her bond hearing last month. After his testimony, a judge permitted Perry to be released from jail and transported by her mother directly to Tara Treatment Center Inc. in Johnson County. Stratton said his former sister-in-law runs Tara and helped expedite Perry's entry.

He said Perry's opportunity to get expensive treatment hours away before the conclusion of her case is not unfair, but is rather the result of her own hard work to put herself through school for seven years and build a legal career.

Additional ILB entires about these defendants may be found using the search box in the right column.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 18, 2007 07:55 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts