VIENNA — Maries County court officials, law enforcement, and the public defender spoke last week in open court about their frustration and declining options in keeping a young, pregnant woman off drugs after she wandered away from a treatment program and got high and then sneaked drugs into the Maries County Jail, which she used.

In the Maries County Associate Circuit Court last week, Judge Kerry Rowden asked Maries County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony “Tony” Skouby and Public Defender Matthew Crowell what they are going to do with Autumn Fawn Fritchey, 24, of Dixon, who is seven to eight months pregnant and addicted to hard drugs such as heroine and methamphetamine. In Maries County Fritchey faces four felony drug possession charges. When she was arrested in April 2019 by county sheriff’s deputies and LANEG officers, they found in her vehicle suspected methamphetamine, alprazolam, cocaine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, marijuana and paraphernalia. 

When all of this began in the Maries County court system, Judge Rowden refused to grant Fritchey bond, although she begged him to at her first court appearance, saying she would get transportation to the sheriff’s office each day to take a drug test. Instead, the judge said she must stay in jail until being furloughed into a treatment program. The judge and court officials are trying to keep Fritchey and her baby safe. Fritchey is listed as homeless and uses her mother’s address. 

In mid-May she was taken to the Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health program in Salem for treatment. It is not an in-patient program and she left it and reportedly came back high on drugs. Back at the Maries County Jail, last week she allegedly snuck drugs into the jail and used them. 

In court last week, Public Defender Matthew Crowell told the court that there is a 90 day treatment program in West Plains that maybe Fritchey can get in to, but he has not received confirmation about this. Crowell said Fritchey’s mom “is in the hallway” and she wants Fritchey to get treatment.

“How do I keep her?” Judge Rowden asked the attorneys. “The last time she was in treatment she wandered off. I don’t want her out at seven months pregnant and doing drugs.”

Prosecutor Tony Skouby expressed his concerns also saying he does not want the blame to fall to them when the baby is born addicted to drugs. “I don’t want that on me,” he said. 

They discussed that Fritchey had successfully sneaked drugs into the county jail using a tampon applicator which was inside her body. She removed the tampon applicator and used the drugs while in jail. Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman said the mixture of heroine and methamphetamine Fritchey used in jail was either snorted or swallowed by her. (Mixing an opiate drug such as heroin with a stimulant like methamphetamine is referred to as a “speedball.” One very negative impact of this mixture is the meth obscures a heroine overdose.)

Skouby said he could file new charges for having the drugs in jail but treatment seems the best option, although all of the attorneys seemed to be skeptical if Fritchey is receptive to treatment at this time. Skouby said she was only at the treatment center one day and left, and then she lied about it. 

Crowell said her mother said she is willing to assist in whatever capacity she can in order to help Fritchey. Judge Rowden asked if her mother is willing to be responsible for her, and then if Fritchey runs off, “Can I put her mom in jail?” He said Fritchey has not been approved for treatment and he’s not sure she will cooperate at all. In the past she has left treatment, didn’t show up for her preliminary hearing, and now she has sneaked drugs into the county jail. 

“I don’t know what to do with her at this point. You two (Skouby and Crowell) come up with something and I’ll consider signing it,” the judge said.

They discussed it further and all believed treatment is the best option, but only a program where she has to stay there. Skouby said if she gets out, the baby will be born an addict and none of them want this. Judge Rowden said this is Fritchey’s third baby, and she’s only 24 years old. 

Prosecutor’s assistant Denise Davis said there is a DOC lockdown facility in Fulton that Fritchey may qualify for. The court officials said they would explore this.

Last Wednesday it was reported Fritchey had been furloughed to a treatment program but which program she was furloughed to was not released.

When asked about the drug problems of many of the inmates at the Maries County Jail and later county defendants in court cases, Sheriff Heitman said unfortunately Fritchey’s situation is a typical drug case. “They put drugs before their own children,” he said. “They neglect their kids, and they don’t pay their bills.” They don’t work and to get money they steal. The borrow money from family and friends and for food and then abuse state assistance such as selling food stamps to get money for drugs. “It’s amazing how some of these people survive. It’s really sad,” the sheriff commented.

County taxpayers are footing the bill for all of this and solutions are not easily realized or found. Sheriff Heitman said his office can’t pay the bill for drug addiction and neither can the county, although both pay for much of it. Families of drug addicts can help, he said, but one of the problems is that the addicts don’t want help; they are addicted to drugs and want to keep using drugs, no matter what. 

They use drugs and are arrested. They are a big percentage of the court dockets in county’s judicial system. Treatment is an option but there are waiting lists and the percentage of success in treatment is a low rate. And then there is prison. Sheriff Heitman said for all of these the taxpayers get the bill. He thinks drug court is a viable option but it, too, is expensive. 

There are people who are successful in treatment and can stay off drugs, about 10 to 15 percent the sheriff estimated, but sadly, up to 90 percent fail. 

He thinks public outreach programs are the best, such as Celebrate Recovery in Belle. This program holds the participants accountable in ways such as contacting them when they don’t show up for a meeting. Still, the addict has to commit and it is only the individual who can commit to staying off drugs.