District Justice Brad Lunsford recently announced his candidacy for a fourth position on the Centre County Common Pleas Court and his intentions to combat heroin use in the community.

As a Centre County judge, Lunsford said he would introduce the area to a separate drug court, which would take non-violent drug addicts and users through a rehabilitation program rather than a jail sentencing.

"The bottom line is, we can put a heroin addict in jail and allow them to serve their sentence," Lunsford said.

However, those people are likely to repeat the same behavior and use or deal drugs again, he said.

A trend toward increased heroin use in the local community prompted the district justice to hold a series of town meetings last fall to encourage discussion among community members about substance abuse problems.

"I do believe that heroin is gaining a foothold in our communities," he said. "Law enforcement is arresting more heroin dealers."

For example, the court system has handled two heroin overdose cases in the past three weeks, Lunsford said.

Lunsford said he will enter both the May 17 Democratic and Republican primaries to win a nomination for the Nov. 8 election.

Three judges currently sit on the Common Pleas bench, but a fourth position will be elected this year.

The General Assembly decides the number of judges, Centre County Judge Charles Brown said, who lobbied for a fourth position.

"We [Centre County court system] were approved by the Legislature in 2002, for an election to be held in 2005, for an additional judge to be added in 2006," he said.

Having a fourth judge will ensure "speedier attention" is given to cases, Brown said.

Beginning as a private attorney in the Centre County area, Lunsford has spent the last nine years as a district justice for the region.

Now Lunsford said he would like to make some changes in the county's court system.

Lunsford also said heroin use is not as much of a problem among Penn State students as marijuana and alcohol use.

With a background in family law, Lunsford said he also wants to work with local attorneys to develop a better system for child dispute cases.

Avoiding litigation is always in the best interest of the child, Lunsford said.

"Because of the prolonged nature of the [case], it tends to harm the children more than it helps," he said.

State College family law attorney LeDon Young said she was still considering entering the race.

Young said she has practiced family law in State College for 26 years.

The majority of cases that go through the court system are divorce, child custody or child support related, she said.

"I think it's key that we have a judge who has a background in those cases," Young said.

Collegian Staff Writer Drew Curley contributed to this report.