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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 27, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 27, 2004 Rehab worker indicted on drug charges By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Suspected of giving alcohol and painkillers to four juveniles in her care, a former employee of a Medford drug-treatment center has been indicted on felony and misdemeanor charges. Melena Kristine Kotsios, 32, lost her job with OnTrack Inc. on Nov. 10 for policy violations, said director Rita Sullivan, adding that she could not discuss Kotsios’ job history in further detail. Kotsios was a fairly new employee still in her probationary period with OnTrack, Sullivan said. A resident of the youth treatment facility came forward about the crime after Kotsios lost her job, Sullivan said. The director said she personally heard the resident make the allegations against Kotsios in a routine drug court hearing on Nov. 16. Officials with the state Department of Human Services became involved in the case. "Before we heard the allegations, she was gone," Sullivan said. Police said Kotsios gave alcohol and the prescription drug Percocet to four juveniles living at an OnTrack treatment center in the 200 block of West Fifth Street. Information filed by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office alleges that the crime took place on Aug. 15. Advertisement Kotsios, who lives in the 2000 block of Melody Lane, Medford, has been charged with four counts each of delivering a controlled substance to a minor and furnishing liquor to a minor. The delivery charge is included in Oregon’s most serious category of felonies while furnishing liquor is a misdemeanor. Indicted Friday, Kotsios was arrested Nov. 19 and released from the Jackson County Jail Monday without posting bail. Her release hinges on the condition that she have no contact with minors. Kotsios has no prior criminal record and would have been required to pass a background check before she was allowed to work with juveniles, Sullivan said. Some of OnTrack’s adult counselors do have drug and criminal histories, but there is no such concession for employees working with minors, Sullivan said. "This agency has very prescriptive rules ... that are in place to protect children and the public," Sullivan said. Although the eight-bed youth treatment center has a locked cabinet to hold medications prescribed for residents, there were no prescription drugs at the facility when the alleged crime took place, Sullivan said. The treatment center usually houses four or five residents, she added. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities