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A mother watches as her daughter is sentenced to prison. Another mom waits for her son to go to trial. Among the charges he faces is manslaughter but the most serious is the manufacture, delivery or possessing with intent to deliver a controlled substance. If found guilty a lengthy prison term is likely.
The core of the problem is drugs, primarily heroin and other opioid derivatives that quickly turn a user into an addict. Addicts, especially young addicts, turn their family’s lives upside down. Parents of addicts face a myriad of tense, trying situations on a daily basis. They live in fear each day that their son or daughter will die as a result of drug usage.
“Two of my son’s friends have died in the past two years because of drug overdoses,” said Nancy Bommelman. “My son was jailed for drugs. I’ve asked for help for my son. I took him to Trinity and they said he’s not at that point. What’s he supposed to be, dead?”
Bommelman’s son, Aaron Bruce, is scheduled for trial December 15. The five charges against him include manslaughter, a Class B felony, in the death of a friend due to an overdose of heroin. Bommelman insists her son was not present at the time of the death of Aidan Vanderhoef but is quick to acknowledge that there is an “awful, awful amount of drugs in this town.”
“This is getting way out of hand. I’ve found needles in the Walmart parking lot,” said Bommelman. “Kids have told me it is so bad that one girl stole $13,000 in guns from her dad to give to her boyfriend to buy drugs.”
Patti Eisenzimmer’s daughter, Brandi, 20, was recently sentenced to five years in prison after she pled guilty to delivery of a controlled substance.
“Brandi got mixed up with the wrong man,” said Patti Eisenzimmer. “The public is not aware of all these kids that are ruining their lives. They are not aware of these adults that are selling drugs because they are making more money than they can making wages. It’s sad and it’s really bad.”
Patti Eisenzimmer arranged a “capture” with law enforcement so that her daughter would be arrested and removed from the society of drugs that was consuming her. Eisenzimmer says she’s comfortable because her daughter is safe in prison and is getting the help she needs because there is nothing else available. At first, Brandi was very resentful.
“But she now knows she needs help,” Patti Eisenzimmer said.
Eisenzimmer knows she is not the only parent whose life has been greatly altered by the drug use of a son or daughter. Kim Hendrickson is one parent who shares a similar story. Hendrickson was in attendance at an “Addict’s Mom” event held at Minot’s Roosevelt Park earlier this year. The Addict’s Mom is a growing national movement dedicated to giving parents a voice to raise awareness for treatment of addicts.
“There’s a lot of good people and a lot of good kids suffering at the hands of addiction,” said Hendrickson. “My 21-year-old son is addicted to heroin. Heroin and meth are very prevalent in Minot.”
Minot courtrooms see a constant parade of drug offenders brought before judges each day. One day recently there were 52 scheduled appearances before District Court judges in Ward County. Twenty-one of the appearances were drug related. On many days the ratio is much higher. The overwhelming number of drug cases is reflected in the Ward County Jail where the inmate population is dominated by drug offenders.
“It’s bad. It’s a large problem,” said Bob Barnard, Ward County sheriff. “We still see quite a few heroin and opioid arrests. The jail is still full.”
Barnard says he has placed money in the sheriff’s office budget for 2017 to contract with medical professionals to do mental health and drug addiction evaluations of prisoners. It may be a first step toward a trend of seeking treatment for some offenders rather than incarceration.
“Most possession level drug offenses don’t really need to be in prison, especially first time offenders” said Jason Olson, Minot Police chief. “They do need to be compelled to get some kind of treatment. We are not going to arrest our way out of a drug problem.”
Olson is a member of one of two committees appointed by the State Legislature to study alternatives to incarceration for low level drug offenders. The committees are expected to draft a bill for the next legislative session that will encourage treatment for some drug offenders. The committees are hoping to help those who can be helped and reduce the pressure on the prison population as well.
“Education is the biggest thing to keep people away from drugs,” said Olson. It’s a nationwide problem. Meth is still our number one hard drug, ten times more than heroin. It’s difficult to know what the end game will be.”
Heroin addicts often become introduced to opioids through prescription painkiller medications such as oxycodone or oxycontin. Heroin is less expensive and therefore an alternative for opioid users, but the menu of dangerous drugs continues to expand.
“The new thing along the opioid line is fentanyl and there’s a new drug, carfentanil,” said Olson.
Fentanyl was identified as the drug that killed rock star Prince. Carfentanil is said to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine. There have been no arrests for carfentanil to date in Minot, but it may not be long before evidence emerges that the drug is available locally. Law enforcement in other major cities in western North Dakota have already encountered the potent drug.
“Micro amounts are the difference between a dose and a lethal dose,” warned Olson. “It is known as an elephant tranquilizer.”
As little as two milligrams of carfentanil, about the size of the point of a ball point pen, is used to sedate a 2,000 pound elephant. The drug points out the dangers addicts face on a daily basis. The difference between being high and being dead can be a very narrow line.
“Once you are addicted the line can be any moment,” said Jason Andersen, Trinity Hospital Addiction Program supervisor. “You are using heavier drugs and could die at any one use. It can be your first time. It’s a very, very dangerous walk to take because you just never know. It’s kind of a Russian roulette, if you will.”
Andersen says he has witnessed a change in Minot from alcohol and marijuana use to heavier drugs starting about 2010. That’s the time he noticed young people in Minot delving into the use of heavier drugs, often starting with opioid-based medications before moving on to heroin.
“I think that’s because heroin is cheaper than the other drugs and you get a bigger bang from it,” explained Andersen. “It gets you higher quicker.”
Once addicted to heroin, addicts will do almost anything to gain their next fix. A recent rash of burglaries and robberies in Minot were committed by addicts seeking to steal money or merchandise to finance their growing drug habit.
“The desperation to not feel sick is all that drives you,” said Andersen. “That’s what leads people to doing things they shouldn’t do. A heroin addict probably isn’t a danger to the public but they are a problem because they can create a desperate situation. Withdrawls from heroin is like the flu times a thousand. You think you are going to die. It’s horrible.”
“I can tell you that all my daughter was worried about was getting another fix, along with other addicts,” said Eisenzimmer. “It did not matter where the money came from. The drugs were her life and she would do anything to make herself feel better.”
Eisenzimmer laments the lack of treatment facilities in the state and the region. She believes locked treatment centers, where the patient cannot leave the facility, might lead to a better lifestyle for many young addicts.
“Do we really need to put the same sentence on a crime for an addict as that of a murderer?” asked Eisenzimmer “I am sickened by how many lives have been taken from us in the last few years. Please remember a cry for help needs to be heard and someone has to be there to do what is right.”
“Some may need time behind bars,” said Andersen. “But treatment is always a better option than jail.”