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U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld to Work on Drug Epidemic Policy

WHEELING –Governor-elect Jim Justice nominated U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld II of Wheeling as a transition team policy chairman for Justice’s Drug Epidemic Committee.

“We have an outstanding group of experts heading up each policy committee,” Justice said.

Ihlenfeld, with the Northern District of West Virginia, is co-chairman of the committee with a duo from Huntington: Mayor Steve Williams, and interim Fire Chief Jan Rader.

“The committee is going to put together a framework for a comprehensive, statewide strategy to respond to the drug threat,” Ihlenfeld said Thursday. “That’s the overall goal: to put that together and do it as quickly as possible.”

Those strategies include recommendations to Justice on how to improve access to treatment for drug abuse; how to improve the drug-use prevention curriculum in school systems; and how to enhance law enforcement response to drug abuse situations, Ihlenfeld said.

Ihlenfeld said his committee “will meet soon to develop the framework for a comprehensive, statewide response strategy to the drug threat facing West Virginia.” Members will discuss areas of law enforcement, prevention, treatment and recovery.

Ihlenfeld has experience in dealing with the state’s drug issues, and networking with others throughout the state and Mid-Atlantic region who also deal with the problem.

As U.S. Attorney for the past six years, and a state prosecutor for 13 years prior, a lot of his time has been spent prosecuting drug cases, he said. And West Virginia needs to focus on this issue.

“According to the latest data available, we have the most overdose deaths in the country on a per capita basis,” he said. “It’s not an easy problem (to solve), but the goal is to put together a strategy that is practical, affordable, and will move the ball forward,” he said.

For example, this year in Huntington, there were 27 heroin overdoses, including one overdose death, reported within four hours Aug. 15.

Wheeling experienced a string of overdoses: four within 13 hours in September, which resulted in two deaths.

West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate has been the highest in the nation, and more than double the national average, according to a 2015 report by Trust for American’s Health, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It cites 2011-13 statistics that show 34 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginians, compared to the national average of 13.4 deaths.

While he’s on the committee, Ihlenfeld said he’ll recommend methods and programs that he has observed in West Virginia communities and possibly from other states. He also represents the 93 U.S. attorneys throughout the country in the Department of Justice’s inter-agency effort to reduce the availability of (the narcotics) heroin and fentanyl, Ihlenfeld said. That nomination came from the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.

For example, in Huntington, where the overdose problem has been particularly devastating, they now “do a really good job with gathering data, analyzing and utilizing data,” he said, citing their ability to pinpoint a particularly potent batch of heroin or fentanyl.

Republican, President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will be appointing a new batch of U.S. attorneys throughout the country — most likely Republicans. Therefore, Ihlenfeld, a Democrat, would likely be removed from his post next year.

“While Mr. Ihlenfeld is not seeking an appointment by the president-elect to continue serving as U.S. attorney, he has not yet decided when he will depart his office,” a statement from Ihlenfeld’s office reads.

Former U.S. Attorney William Kolibash, a Republican who served from 1981 to 1993, but who says he is now an independent, explained the process when he was let go from the post.

President Bill Clinton nominated two nominees for attorney general, before Janet Reno was selected, he said. So, Kolibash’s firing was delayed until Reno came into her post, Kolibash said.

“I was skiing in Colorado, when my wife came up into the middle of the mountain and said ‘You don’t have a job anymore.’ I did anticipate it would be done that quickly,” he said.

However, Kolibash worked it out with the Justice Department in the new administration that he would stay a few more months, and finally left in July after helping the incoming U.S. Attorney Democrat Bill Wilmoth with his transition.

Ihlenfeld said until he hears from the department, “I’m still U.S. attorney, and I’m going to work as hard as I can, as long as I can. I’m going to sprint for the finish line.”

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