Accused of Dealing Near School : 2 Arrested Under New Drug Law

Two San Fernando Valley teen-agers were arrested Thursday on federal charges that they peddled cocaine to undercover agents near a Reseda high school for the disabled.

The arrests were the first in what federal authorities said was a joint effort with local police to enforce a new federal law that provides increased penalties for selling illegal drugs near schools.

“There’s a message here, and the message is, don’t sell dope in L.A., and particularly, don’t sell dope near a school,” Assistant Los Angeles Police Chief Bob Vernon said at a press conference announcing the arrests.

The new law, adopted last year, provides for mandatory one-year prison terms and a doubling of possible penalties for distributing controlled drugs within 1,000 feet of a school or university.

A federal grand jury indictment alleges that Michael Jon Enders Jr., 19, of Northridge; Laina Eileen Cormack, 18, of Reseda and Donald Lee Pease, 21, of Sepulveda sold cocaine from a residence across the street from the Diane S. Leichman High School for the disabled in the 19000 block of Gault Street.

Not Sold to Students

The indictment does not allege that any cocaine was sold to students of the high school but claims that the three suspects sold cocaine to an undercover police officer who posed as a student from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys.

Police announced last week that the three were among 110 people, including 73 students, arrested in undercover drug investigations at Los Angeles schools this spring. The federal indictment was sought in addition to the state charges stemming from the police School Buy program.

Enders and Cormack were arrested Thursday. Pease remained at large and was expected to surrender.

Enders, charged with 11 counts of conspiracy and cocaine distribution, could be sentenced to 320 years in prison if convicted on all counts, whereas Cormack, charged with eight counts, could be sentenced to 220 years in prison if convicted. Pease was charged with three counts.

“We would certainly like to get the message out to people who are contemplating selling drugs near schools that Congress has created a very, very tough statute with some very, very tough penalties,” U.S. Atty. Robert C. Bonner said. “We don’t want people to come running to us crying when they are caught . . . and sent to prison for very substantial periods of time.”