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<DIV><FONT size=2>Is there a local lesson here?</FONT></DIV><FONT size=2>
<DIV><BR>Wayne A. Fox<BR>1009 Karen Lane<BR>PO Box 9421<BR>Moscow, ID
83843</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:waf@moscow.com">waf@moscow.com</A><BR>208 882-7975</DIV>
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<H1>Idaho sheriff deals with son's meth addiction</H1>
<P>By [author]Katy Moeller[/author] Of The [org]Idaho
Statesman[/org]<BR>December 20, 2010</P>
<P>BOISE - Rick Layher has been working drug cases for decades and knows well
how methamphetamine can tear a family apart.</P>
<P>"The parents that I've talked to, they're just pulling their hair out about
it and asking 'What do we do?' No other drug has affected families like this,"
said Layher, who was confronted with the problem in his own home this year.</P>
<P>Layher's son, John R. Layher, 27, was arrested Nov. 17 for felony possession
of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.</P>
<P>The Elmore County sheriff turned his son in to Idaho State Police after he
found a couple of meth pipes in the basement of his house, where John had been
living. Investigators searched the house and seized the evidence.</P>
<P>"I truly feel that turning him in, I did the right thing for him," Layher
said. "One way or another, he's going to get some help ... To me, this was his
last chance."</P>
<P>His son spent almost five days in jail.</P>
<P>"I was happy the longer my son sat in jail. His brain was starting to get
clear," Layher said.</P>
<P>John Layher declined to be interviewed for this story. He was due in court
Friday, but the preliminary hearing was rescheduled for January. The Elmore
County Prosecutor's Office turned the case over to the Ada County prosecutor to
avoid a conflict of interest.</P>
<P>Sheriff Layher, who attended his eldest daughter's graduation from Boise
State University Friday morning, said his family has been through a lot in the
past month, but he's feeling optimistic about his son's future.</P>
<P>"I see light now ... I've seen a big difference in his attitude," said
Layher, who wants to see his son get treatment for drug addiction.</P>
<P>He believes his son began using drugs in his early 20s, but had been clean
until about a year ago.</P>
<P>"You see them going good for a couple months, six months, even eight months,
then all of the sudden, it's like the rug's taken out from under you," Layher
said. "He had gotten a pretty good job and had been clean for a long time, then
he started using again."</P>
<P>Layher said meth addicts become completely absorbed in themselves,
withdrawing from family and staying out all night.</P>
<P>"You can't really get into a rational conversation with them. No matter what
it is, they're right," Layher said. "When they're on that stuff, they don't care
about their kids, their parents, their grandparents. They don't care about them
things until their brain starts clearing up."</P>
<P>Layher said meth is no bigger problem in Mountain Home than it is anywhere
else in the state, but it is a major problem.</P>
<P>"I wouldn't wish this on anybody," said Layher, thankful for the support he's
received from the community. "A lot of people have sent cards and said they're
praying for us. That does help. I'm thankful to God for
that."</P><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>