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MARSHALL -- The public may view it at face value -- a burglary is a burglary.

But to the Marshall Police Department and the Lyon County Sheriff's Department, a burglary is likely linked to drugs.

Marshall Police Det. Paula Curry estimated that 90 percent of home and car break-ins are drug-related. Users are turning to burglary to obtain property or cash to buy drugs, Curry said.

It's a residual effect of drug use that costs property owners and, ultimately, taxpayers. Taxpayers pay through law enforcement man-hours needed to investigate the cases and to make arrests and to corresponding court costs.

Not every drug user will commit drug-related crimes.

"If they are really hardcore, you start to see the residuals," Lyon County Attorney Rick Maes said.

If there are increasingly younger users and increasing use of marijuana and methamphetamine, then there is greater risk of hardcore users and related crimes, law and drug treatment officials said.

Officials also see links between drug use and violent crimes, damage to property, forgery and check fraud. While prostitution arrests may not register in court cases, officials said users will sell sex for drug money or exchange sex for drugs.

In 2001, 216 cases of juvenile petty misdemeanors were filed in Lyon County.

Other cases included 53 misdemeanors, 10 gross misdemeanors and 37 felonies.

The Lyon County Attorney's Office handled 24 drug-related cases; four forgeries; three burglaries; 33 thefts; 45 theft-related; 11 vehicle theft related; 15 assaults; 96 alcohol; 22 disturbing the peace; 27 damage to property; six possession of stolen property; four weapons violations and 75 general traffic.

Alcohol crimes account for the most juvenile cases handled by the county attorney, even though officials say there is a decline in alcohol use.

Under current laws, a person cannot be arrested solely for being high on a controlled substance. Other factors are needed, such as driving under the influence, or possession of a substance or of drug paraphernalia.

"If someone chooses to sit on a corner and be a stoner, there's not a lot you can do," Curry said.

The existence of stronger alcohol-related laws sends a mixed message to youth about the acceptance of drug use, officials said. It is also compelling motivation to use marijuana instead of alcohol, they said.

Not all cases filed in the court are drug-related, but among those that are include thefts of stereos from cars and shoplifting, both of which can be motivated by drug use.

Customers pay for the losses from shoplifting, Curry said. Other indirect costs to taxpayers include higher insurance rates because of auto theft and accidents that occur because of drug use, said Curry and Dan Louwagie, the coordinator of the Brown, Lyon and Redwood Drug Task Force.

The residual costs for drug-related crimes add up, but investigating and prosecuting drug cases also take time and money.

"Drug investigations are a lengthy process," Curry said.

"One of the things that you can't put a price tag on is what is it costing trying to enforce, and the man hours used," Lyon County Sheriff's Sgt. Joel Dahl said.

Curry and Louwagie said the drug task force has been a good addition in drug enforcement. The task force allows for more exchange of information and as many as six investigators can be on one site if needed, Louwagie said.

Cities and counties couldn't do as well alone, nor could they afford it, Louwagie said.

Information is a gathered and exchanged between law enforcement agencies in many drug investigations. Investigations can lead to dangerous situations when a search warrant is executed for a methamphetamine lab.

Materials used to manufacture meth include anhydrous ammonia, lye, brake cleaner, drain cleaner and other toxic or hazardous materials. The materials can pose a breathing risk and can explode

"It's all nasty stuff," Dahl said.

Officers who enter a building with a suspected meth lab face the most risk because they are walking into the unknown, Curry and Louwagie said. Other law enforcement enters with air packs and protective gear. The fire department and ambulance are also on site in case of injury or fire.

A case in which a dealer or manufacturer of a drug is busted can take months of investigative work, including interviews with users, former users, other law enforcement and others.

Money from the Marshall Area Crime Fund is used to make drug buys. Locally, dealers have been as young as 14, Curry said.

"If you can come up with $50, the dealer doesn't care how old you are," Curry said of the buyer's age.

Adults buy from minors and minors buy from adults.

If law enforcement makes an arrest, the defendant is charged and appears in court. If he's caught with marijuana in his coat, he can face a five-year prison sentence, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both. That's only for a fifth degree charge.

If a seller is caught selling 5.4 grams of methamphetamine, he can be charged with controlled substance crime in the second degree and face as much as a $500,000 fine, a maximum of 25 years in prison or both.

If manufacturing of higher amounts of drugs are involved, the maximum sentence and maximum fines increase.

Rarely do defendants receive the highest penalties. Often, most receive a lesser sentence and can have some charges dismissed under plea bargain agreements. In the end, the defendant will likely face several hundred dollars in fines, possible restitution and a jail sentence.

And if he needs a public defender, many times that cost is absorbed by the public.

Often, the conditions attached to a court sentence include having a chemical use assessment and following its recommendations.

Bernie Przymus, a social worker with Lyon Lincoln Human Services, said Lyon County spent about $235,000 for treatment programs in 2001. For an adult, the average cost to the county for a 30-day program is $6,000.

Maes said while juveniles age 13 to 16 may be charged with severe drug charges, the most important goal is rehabilitation and treatment.

"I think rehabilitation and treatment are more important than any consequence you could give them," Maes said. "What's more important than consequences is what you can offer to help this child and the child's family so you can eliminate the behavior."

A 45-day program for an adolescent cpsts about $11,000, Przymus said.

It's unusual for juveniles to turn up in court and treatment programs more than once.

"We have repeat offenders. That's a fact that will never change," Maes said. "We've had people who've gone through treatment 20 to 30 times from juvenile through their young adult lives.

"I had a man where we must have spent about $2 million on his treatment," Przymus added.

Bob Schmillen, the chemical dependency treatment coordinator for Project Turnabout in Granite Falls and Willmar, said "most kids cannot do it in a single treatment."

Schmillen said 30 or 90 days won't cut it; more often, the user needs 90 days followed by a halfway house for up to 90 days and then another step of reduced supervision for possibly another 90 days.

Przymus, too, said a minor-aged user might be successful in longer programs of several months.

Despite what seems to be glaring failures in treatment and associated increased costs, officials said they are reluctant to give up on treatment.

"Just because treatment doesn't always work with every one doesn't mean you give up," Maes said.

Yet, Maes said, "It finally gets to the point where you want to protect society and you want to protect someone from themselves."

Then the most logical action is a prison sentence, Maes said.

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