HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY --- Court officials are outraged after the Blair County Drug Court Committee OK’d hundreds of program dollars for an abortion.

    

The system is used to help drug dealers and addicts kick their habits.  Angry court officials said abortions can't keep people off drugs, and local taxpayers want to know if the money came from their paychecks.

Blair County Commissioner Terry Tomassetti said none of the money going into the drug court program comes out of tax payers' pockets.  All of the funds are paid by the people who enter the program.  Some court officials said that doesn't matter.  They're making sure this situation never happens again.

    

Prosecutors recommend certain drug dealers and addicts for the program.  It's to help them get rid of the habit.  Money in the program goes towards things to help them get off of drugs.  Weeks ago the Drug Court Committee decided to give a participant $400 for an abortion.  Blair County District Attorney Richard Consiglio still can't believe it.

“If it ever happened again I would shut down the program because I’m the one who recommends people, and if I don't recommend anybody there's nobody in the program therefore there's no program,” Consiglio said.

The committee decided to take back the money after court officials complained.  What if it would have gone through?  Where would that money have come from?

    

“That the money that was utilized was money that is not state funds, county funds, or federal funds,” Tomassetti said.

The program funds come straight from the participants.  They each pay $10 a month to be in the program.  People involved in

Blair County Drug Court

can make money requests to help them get over drugs.  For example, the committee will give money for bus fare to get to a job interview or food; anything to help people with rehabilitation. 

Consiglio said a counselor working with the woman demanded the committee give the money for the abortion.  He wants to know how that would have helped this person kick her drug habit.

“I could not tolerate that, I don't know who the guy is, I don't know who the agency is, but if I ever find out they're going to regret it,” Consiglio said.

    

Blair County President Judge Jolene Kopriva oversees the ten person committee.  She said this was the first abortion request the committee received.  Consiglio said Judge Kopriva assured him this would never happen again.  Commissioner Tomassetti is going to hold her to it.

“There is going to be a review of those criteria to specify in greater detail its use, and I’ll be sitting with that group to work to ensure that and just to ensure my input,” Tomassetti said.

    

Consiglio believed a private donor gave the woman money for the abortion.  We couldn't reach Judge Kopriva Monday for additional comments.