A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

We've all been hearing about meth for years, but in recent weeks, it has
taken a toll locally with the death of one local man and the arrest of
others, one who was turned in by his mother. In this series, we will look
at what meth is, how it affects individuals and the community, and what is
being done to fight the problem.

Meth: Killing Our Community

This Week: Meth: What It Is, A Historical Outlook

Next Week: Josh Magnuson Lost To Meth; New Laws

July 28: Addressing The Problem -- Law Enforcement And Chemical Dependency
Professionals Team Up To Fight Meth And Offer Hope.

How Driving Under Meth Can Change Lives Forever

The users of methamphetamine, otherwise known as crank, dope, speed,
crystal, ice or fluff, are not the only people poisoned by the drug. It has
taken over and become the drug of choice or the "cheap man's cocaine,"
Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren said in a recent interview.

"People's lives are being ruined by the drug, not only for the user, but
also those involved in the production process. This is a very dangerous
drug that affects the entire community," Lindgren explained.

On May 20, 2002, Charity Reichel and her family became painfully aware of
the effects of meth.

Reichel's mother, Beth, her 15-year-old brother and her mother's best
friend Patty were on their way to an evening of golf with family and
friends. Patty was driving eastbound on County Road 9 in Isanti County and
realized a full-size van was heading straight for them from the westbound lane.

Patty made every attempt to avoid the oncoming vehicle. She slowed down,
thinking the other vehicle would straighten out, but the van continued on
the path toward the would-be golfers.

Patty drove into the ditch to avoid the oncoming vehicle and brought the
minivan she was driving to a complete stop. At 5:55 p.m, the full-size van
careened head-on into the mini-van.

Reichel's brother called her from the scene of the accident on his cell
phone. "He told me they were in an accident and I remember him saying, 'I'm
OK, but Mom is unconscious,'" she said. Arriving at the scene before the
ambulance, she noticed her mother looked pale, and she also thought at
first her mother was unconscious. "When the ambulance arrived, they checked
over my brother and Patty. I noticed they were not helping my mom," Reichel
said.

"Then we saw them pull the white sheet over her body."

Both Patty and Reichel's brother suffered serious injuries. Her mother was
killed instantly. Lives were dramatically altered forever.

Her neck was broken from the impact along with a blood vessel in her brain,
which was later determined to be the cause of death, Reichel said.

Reichel then had the emotional and heart-wrenching task of calling her dad
and sister to inform them their wife and mother would not be meeting them
for golf that evening. She would not be coming home ever again.

"I never thought I would have to identify my mom's body," she said. "Not
only was she my mom, but she was my best friend. That was very hard."

"She was 42. Mom and Dad had been together since my mom was 12 and my dad
was 15."

The 22-year old driver of the full-size van walked away from the accident
completely unharmed.

"He was wandering around the scene mumbling and incoherent - totally out of
it. We do not know if he was just high, or if he was high and suicidal or
what," she said. Law enforcement officials arrested the young man and took
him to jail where he tested positive for methamphetamine in his system.

"He was the same age as I was -- 22-years old then," Reichel said. "I knew
him. I went to school with him. I knew he had a history of selling and
doing drugs. He had been in and out of the system for a long time. The cops
knew him, too."

Patty's knees were crushed. She has endured several surgeries and she will
never fully recover. Reichel's brother was banged up but is physically OK,
Reichel said. Both continue to suffer emotional stress, Reichel said.

The 22-year-old driver was taken straight to jail where he remained for two
or three months. Thereafter he was released on bail paid for by his father
subject to random urinalysis testing. He had been out for approximately two
weeks when he tested positive for meth, Reichel said.

The drug is so powerful and dangerous that "he didn't even learn his lesson
after killing someone," Reichel said. "In treatment we talk about hitting
rock bottom. It is scary to think what his rock bottom is, because it
wasn't even killing someone."

Reichel had one year of college as a psychology major at St. Cloud State
remaining at the time of her mother's death. Chemical dependency counseling
was her field of choice. Having never been chemically dependent herself, at
times she questioned her selection.

After her mother's death, Reichel found it hard to come to terms with her
situation. She could not return to work for a month and half.

Reichel feels she needed to find something positive to come out of the
devastation her family was now living. She said her mother "was so
anti-drugs that this had to have happened for a reason. My mom did not die
for no reason. That reason might have been for me to help other people."

Reichel wants people to understand this is what happens if you are on the
other side. In that one instant her family's lives were changed forever.
She said she feels her mother gives her the strength to continue with her
career choice. She now tells her story to others as a counselor and in
schools to kids in hopes of reaching out to someone. She said, "One way or
another, the drug will catch up to you and do things that you didn't expect."

The court process took about 10 months. During the victim impact
statements, the judge had to call a recess because he was choked up, she
said. "I thought, 'This is a good thing. Maybe we are connecting.'"

The family hoped he would receive the toughest penalty, but they were
disappointed. The young man who killed the loving wife and mother, best
friend and strong member of the community was charged with vehicular
homicide with a controlled substance and sentenced to five years, eligible
for parole in three.

"It is so frustrating to me," Reichel said, "that someone with possession
can get 20 years. Someone who kills another person, kills a human being,
can get five years. It doesn't seem fair."

Reichel said she feels fortunate in one way. She has become much closer to
her father and developed a stronger relationship with him. She said, "He
used to spend a lot of time at work. Now he spends more time with us. We
were always a close family, but now we are even tighter because you just
never know. We realize that now."

The saving grace for Reichel and her family is in knowing her mother had
lived a happy life. "My mom always said she was fulfilled. Not many people
can say that about their lives."