WSB Radio News Reporter Pete Combs began investigating Narconon of Georgia after learning of the lawsuit filed against the drug rehab organization by the family of Patrick Desmond. The 28-year old Florida man was sent to the Brevard County Drug Court after a DUI in 2006. In 2007, he was sentenced to six months of inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation. He could serve his sentence in a Florida program called Bridges of America, but his lawyer advised his parents that if they could afford private care, Patrick would be better served elsewhere.

He wasn’t.

Narconon of Georgia Executive Director Mary Reiser promised her facility was an “inpatient residential program, six months in length, staffed by professional substance abuse specialists, where patients were monitored 24-hours a day,” according to Patrick’s father, Rick Desmond.

Patrick graduated the program after only four months and was made a counselor. He went home after six months and relapsed within two weeks. He was drunk when called in to the drug court for a random drug test and sent back to Narconon of Georgia where his parents say, instead of being treated for his relapse, he was again made a counselor in just a few weeks.

On June 10, 2008, Patrick was drinking with another patient-turned counselor in housing utilized by Narconon patients when the phone rang. It was a couple of former patients asking if they wanted to buy some heroin. Patrick said he did. He walked out of the apartment, got in the former patient’s car and took off. Less than 24 hours later, Patrick Desmond was dead.

At issue in this investigation are allegations that Narconon of Georgia lured the Desmonds and other families to send their addicted loved ones to Norcross with promises of residential drug and alcohol treatment when in fact the facility is only licensed as an outpatient treatment program. There are also allegations that Narconon controls the company that provides housing for its patients. And there are questions about the state’s oversight of Narconon, which one observer says is “surprisingly unaggressive” given the circumstances.”

Joining WSB’s Pete Combs in this investigation were WSB-TV Reporter Jodie Fleischer and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Reporter Christian Boone. Their reports are running concurrently on Channel 2 Action News and at www.ajc.com.