BROOKSVILLE - A Powell Middle School teacher protested just before his arrest on a DUI charge that "everybody drinks and drives" and asked the deputy why he was giving him "such a hard time," according to a report. ...more

November 13, 2007

SEBRING — A growing number of adolescents are starting to turn to over-the-counter and prescription drugs for a high. "Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic across the country," said Sgt. Monica Sauls, of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "While the use of popular gateway drugs has decreased, the number of teens abusing medication has steadily increased." Sauls points to a 2005 study used during D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) presentations that shows that 4.7 millions teens admitted taking prescription medication that was not prescribed to them. The number ranks third among drugs that teens have tried, behind only marijuana and inhalants. ...more

November 6, 2007

SEBRING — A Sebring woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of drug trafficking and forgery for using her employment at a local doctor's office to fax fake prescription papers to local Walgreens to obtain prescription medication. Ira Lorena Bareno, 28, of 1629 Lagrange Ave., entered a no-contest plea to charges that she obtained the drug Vicoprofen illegally. Bareno, who is currently out on bond, has a Dec. 17 sentencing date set before Judge Peter Estrada in the Highlands County Courthouse. ...more

November 2, 2007