Central Wisconsin is seeing a surge in methamphetamine use, according to one local sheriff.
In Marathon County, meth arrests went from 54 in 2013 to 68 last year, a 24 percent increase. Sheriff Scott Parks said he thinks the the surge is actually tied to a crackdown by local authorities on heroin abuse, a relatively new problem in central Wisconsin
“Whenever you see heroin start to move into your community, and efforts being made to eradicate that problem, meth immediately slides back in,” said Parks.
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He said he is most disturbed by parents who are dealing or abusing the drug.
“Parents have locked their children in rooms scattering food on the floor to keep those children occupied so they can go about doing their deliveries of controlled substances,” Parks said.
The sheriff estimates that 75 percent of the crime in Marathon County is committed by drug abusers.
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