SCOTT COUNTY, Ind. — From marijuana to needles and narcotics, the new sheriff of Scott County said his promise of a zero-tolerance policy against drug use in his county is being kept.
"Do not come to Scott County if you don't live in Scott County if you are selling dope. I'm telling you right now, don't do it. If you do it, you will have a target on your back. I make no bones about it,” Sheriff Jerry Goodin said.
He is putting handcuffs on anyone who uses or sells, and since he took office in January, his office has been busy.
"This is an all-out war. We are talking about life and death. We are talking about people's lives, and we will do everything we can do, everything we can do to make sure we can win this battle,” Goodin said.
Sheriff Goodin is working with the County Prosecutor Chris Owens’ office. He also supports the zero tolerance.
"Any drug dealer that we can, we are trying to get out of this town. Whether we have to scare them out of here or get them out of here by sending them to prison,” Owens said.
Last week, Sheriff Goodin did a sweep at his jail, locking it down for six days, looking for contraband. He found some and plans to bring more charges against those who abuse the system.
"We are leaving no stone unturned. Because we are going to make a difference. That's a whole bottom line in this, making a difference. Making this a better community then we found it,” Goodin said.
The sheriff wants to start a drug rehab program at his jail but is still working on the details. He also wants to implement full body scanners, so it can find drugs that are often hidden during the intake process.
Goodin is talking with doctors to help track prescriptions to make sure pills aren't being sold or overprescribed.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.