Lindsey Wilson University Counseling Students Gain Insight Into How Substance Abuse Affects Region’s Road Safety 

Columbia Police Department gives students overview of efforts to reduce impaired driving-related tragedies. 

by Duane Bonifer 

COLUMBIA, KY. (03/02/2026) Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster gave students in two of Lindsey Wilson University professor Mahalia Cain’s human services and counseling classes a thorough and comprehensive overview about substance-abuse issues that he and his fellow law-enforcement officers face in their work. 

Foster gave students in Cain’s “Substance Abuse” and “Abnormal Psychology” classes a tour of the department’s Substance Abuse Education trailer on Thursday, Feb. 26, which he brought to campus so students could better understand many of the issues law-enforcement officers confront in the line of duty. 

Along with Officer Elliot Smith, Foster administered field sobriety tests to show students how chemical substances impair driving and the techniques law-enforcement officers use to detect it. Smith received the 2025 Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Award for his efforts to prevent impaired driving-related tragedies. 

Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster, far left, is joined by Lindsey Wilson University students in the “Substance Abuse” class of Professor Mahalia Cain, far right, in front of the Columbia Police Department’s Substance Abuse Education trailer on Thursday, Feb. 26, near the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster, far left, is flanked by Derrick Murphy of Lindsey Wilson University Public Safety and Lindsey Wilson students in the “Abnormal Psychology” class of Professor Mahalia Cain, far right, in front of the Columbia Police Department’s Substance Abuse Education trailer on Thursday, Feb. 26, near the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

Columbia Police Sgt. Trevor Foster administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Kamilah Nana ’29 of Louisville, Kentucky, right, during an “Abnormal Psychology” class on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

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Columbia Police Officer Elliot Smith administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Isabella Hernandez ’28 of Medellin, Colombia, during an “Abnormal Psychology” class on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

Columbia Police Officer Elliot Smith administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Hadleigh Parrish ’29 of Russell Springs, Kentucky, during an “Abnormal Psychology” class on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

Columbia Police Elliot Smith administers a field sobriety test to Lindsey Wilson University student Hannaha Boyer ’29 of Somerset, Kentucky, during an “Abnormal Psychology” class on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships. 

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(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)