Crews Clean Up Wagner Meth House
Published: August 22, 2012, 6:18 PM
Authorities say Taylor and Laurie Cournoyer were using meth and other drugs while Lovell was in their care. Her body was found inside a closet in a home on the reservation, at least 36 hours after she died.
The Yankton Sioux Tribe isn't alone in its struggle against methamphetamine abuse. And while local statistics are hard to come by, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report shows meth is disproportionately devastating Native American communities like Wagner.
According to the report, 74 percent of tribal police officer rank meth as the number one drug problem on reservations.
The Reilee Lovell case simply puts a face on what is believed to be a bigger problem. Because nearly half of all tribal police believe an increase in child neglect and abuse cases are linked to increased meth use.
Nationally, 40 percent of all violent crime on tribal land is also believed to be linked to meth use.
And officials as many as two-thirds of all domestic violence cases on the country's reservations could be linked to the use of the drug.
On Wednesday, a cleaning crew armed with coveralls and breathing masks is fighting back.
Joe Newcomb, with Santi-Kleen Environmental Solutions, oversees the cleanup and says traces of meth have contaminated nearly every surface of Taylor and Laurie Cournoyer's former home.
The Yankton Sioux Tribe isn't alone in its struggle against methamphetamine abuse. And while local statistics are hard to come by, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report shows meth is disproportionately devastating Native American communities like Wagner.
According to the report, 74 percent of tribal police officer rank meth as the number one drug problem on reservations.
The Reilee Lovell case simply puts a face on what is believed to be a bigger problem. Because nearly half of all tribal police believe an increase in child neglect and abuse cases are linked to increased meth use.
Nationally, 40 percent of all violent crime on tribal land is also believed to be linked to meth use.
And officials as many as two-thirds of all domestic violence cases on the country's reservations could be linked to the use of the drug.
On Wednesday, a cleaning crew armed with coveralls and breathing masks is fighting back.
Joe Newcomb, with Santi-Kleen Environmental Solutions, oversees the cleanup and says traces of meth have contaminated nearly every surface of Taylor and Laurie Cournoyer's former home.
No comments:
Post a Comment