MURDER USA: Fatal Heroin Overdose with a Foot Long at Subway; Two Face Charges in Death
STEVENSVILLE, MD. – As Maryland’s many drug users continue to partake in heroin, health and law enforcement officials stress that an even stronger version of heroin-fentanyl is being rushed to market in the region by drug dealers. One of the state’s newest heroin overdose cases took place in Stevensville, Md., leaving one dead junkie and two persons charged with providing the heroin facing long stretches in prison.
Queen Anne County Sheriff Gary Hofmann reports that on September 14, 2016, Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a fatal drug overdose that just occurred at the Subway store located at 230 St. Claire Place Stevensville, Maryland. The deceased, Crystal Jean Ringgold, of 18190 Hecht Road, Henderson, Md., was discovered unresponsive from a suspected heroin overdose.
Members of the Queen Anne’s County Drug Task Force responded to assist and were able to identify one person who may have distributed or facilitated the distribution of the heroin to the deceased junkie.
Rachel Maury Bowman, 20, of 517 Kennersley Farm Lane, Church Hill, Md., was detained by Task force members while Detectives from the Task Force authored a search and seizure warrant for her person, car, cell phone and belongings. A search of her belongings revealed 2 grams of suspected heroin, 2 suspected Zubsolv pills, and a suspected Suboxone strip.
Sheriff Hofmann says that Bowman was charged with the suspected distribution of controlled dangerous substances to Ringgold and the possession of heroin, Suboxone, Zubsolv, and paraphernalia. Bowman was also charged on an arrest warrant for the possession of heroin with the intent to distribute for a separate case the task force was also investigating.
Bowman was charged by Maryland State Police Trooper Buckius and held on $107,500.00 total bond. Eileen Marie Shannon-McClellan, a public defender, provided for Bowman by the taxpayers of Maryland is listed in court records as her attorney. Bowman is set for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 13, 2016, in Queen Anne County District Court.
…arrest warrant charging Brown with involuntary manslaughter, distribution of heroin, conspiracy to distribute heroin and reckless endangerment in the overdose death of Crystal Jean Ringgold.
Further investigation revealed that Don Diego Brown, 58, of 122 Saint Paul Road, Ingleside, Md., met with Bowman directly before Ringgold’s death then delivered suspected heroin to Ringgold. Task Force investigators consulted with the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office and an arrest warrant charging Brown with involuntary manslaughter, distribution of heroin, conspiracy to distribute heroin and reckless endangerment in the overdose death of Crystal Jean Ringgold.
On Sept. 20, 2016, at 11 am, Brown was located driving through Centreville, Maryland. Members of the task force, with assistance from uniformed troopers assigned to the Centreville Barrack, made a traffic stop on Brown while he was northbound on Route 301 at Rolling Bridge Road. Brown was taken into custody without incident. A search of Brown’s car incident to arrest revealed trace heroin, 2 Suboxone strips, and heroin-related paraphernalia. Brown was also charged with these items and his 2004 Toyota Camry was seized.
In addition to the above-listed charges, Brown was also charged on a separate warrant with two counts of possession of CDS – not Marijuana and possession of CDS paraphernalia.
Brown, who was charged with attempted murder in 2001 and convicted of a 1st-degree assault was sentenced to 25 years is currently on probation/parole. At an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner, bail for Brown was set at $7,500 on both of the arrest warrants.
A District Court Judge set the same low bail amount on Sept. 21, 2016. A court appearance is set for Nov. 9, 2016. The more serious charges of reckless endangerment and involuntary manslaughter that Brown faces won him a bond amount of $750,000. A preliminary hearing on those charges is set for Oct. 20, 2016. Michael S. Pappafotis is the taxpayer provided public defender in this case.
Ringgold pleaded guilty to drug possession on June 13, 2014, in Queen Anne County Circuit Court after being indicted on three counts of possession of drugs, paraphernalia and the standard equipment used to shoot up heroin. The plea deal approved by the Queen Anne County States Attorney was for a sentence of four years with all suspended except for one year and six months. She was given credit for 49 days of time served in jail while waiting for trial.
Ringgold was charged by Maryland State Police Trooper Norton with nine counts of theft and forgery for an incident which took place on Oct. 8, 2012. In Caroline County District Court on Oct. 29, 2013, Ringgold entered a guilty plea to theft and all other charges were dropped in the plea deal which allowed for a fine of $42.00 and six months in jail.
Charges of prostitution and theft brought against Ringgold on by Queen Anne County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthews were dropped by Queen Anne County States Attorney on Nov. 6, 2013, and she was released from jail on that date.
Ringgold pleaded guilty to theft in Caroline County District Court on July 25, 2013, after being charged by Caroline County Deputy Nagyiski. The deal provided for six months in jail and a fine of $42.50. Court records show she was charged with violation of probation on April 15, 2014.
A guilty plea to drug charges in Queen Anne County Circuit Court on Dec. 15, 2012, resulted in a nine months in jail with all of the sentenced suspended and a $500 fine.
The number of heroin-related deaths that took place in 2015 jumped from 247 in 2011 to 392 in 2012 to 464 in 2013, 578 in 2014, shooting up to 748 for 2015. With the figure more than doubling in five years, the cheap flood of heroin and fentanyl derivatives has ravaged the region’s druggie crowd with a ferocity that law enforcement officials find to be overwhelming.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan appointed a heroin task force which has held hearings across the state.
The following information is from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Eighty-six percent of all intoxication deaths that occurred in Maryland in 2015 were opioid-related. Opioid-related deaths include deaths related to heroin, prescription opioids, and nonpharmaceutical fentanyl.
- The number of opioid-related deaths increased by 23% between 2014 and 2015, and have more than doubled since 2010.
- Large increases in the number of heroin and fentanyl-related deaths were largely responsible for the overall rise in opioid-related deaths, but deaths from prescription opioids have been rising as well in recent years. Between 2014 and 2015 the number of heroin-related deaths increased by 29% (from 578 to 748), the number of fentanyl-related deaths nearly doubled (from 186 to 340), and the number of prescription opioid-related deaths increased by 6% (from 330 to 351).
- The number of heroin-related deaths in Maryland more than tripled between 2010 and 2015. Deaths have increased among all age groups, Whites and African Americans, men and women, and in all regions of the State.
- Twenty-nine percent of heroin-related deaths in 2015 occurred in combination with fentanyl, 24% in combination with alcohol, 20% in combination with cocaine, and 13% in combination with prescription opioids.
- The number of prescription opioid-related deaths has been rising since 2012, in large part as a result of an increase in methadone-related deaths. The number of prescription opioid-related deaths has been rising steadily among the 45-54-year age 6 group, and falling steadily among individuals below the age of 25. Deaths have been increasing among both Whites and African Americans in recent years.
- The number of fentanyl-related deaths began increasing in late 2013 as a result of overdoses involving nonpharmaceutical fentanyl, that is, nonprescription fentanyl produced in clandestine laboratories and mixed with, or substituted for, heroin or other illicit substances. Fentanyl is many times more potent than heroin, and greatly increases the risk of an overdose death. The number of deaths caused by fentanyl has increased 12-fold since 2012.
- Fentanyl-related deaths have increased substantially among all age groups, among Whites and African Americans, and among both men and women.
- While fentanyl-related deaths have been increasing in all regions of the State, the increase has been greatest in the Baltimore Metro area.
- Approximately 65% of fentanyl-related deaths in 2015 occurred in combination with heroin, and 20% in combination with cocaine.
- Approximately 65% of fentanyl-related deaths in 2015 occurred in combination with heroin, and 20% in combination with cocaine.
Combinations of Substances Related to Overdose Drug and Alcohol-Relation Intoxication Deaths, Maryland, 2015.
Heroin Death 2015 Total 748
In combination
With fentanyl 220 29.4
With alcohol 180 24.1
With cocaine 146 19.5
With prescription opioids 99 13.2
With benzodiazepines 37 4.9
Prescription opioids
Total 351
In combination
With heroin 99 28.2
With benzodiazepines 55 15.7
With alcohol 55 15.7
With fentanyl 54 15.4
With cocaine 31 8.8
Cocaine
Total 221
In combination
With heroin 146 66.1
With fentanyl 67 30.3
With alcohol 45 20.4
With prescription opioids 31 14.0
With benzodiazepines 6 2.7
Benzodiazepines
Total 91
In combination
With prescription opioids 55 60.4
With heroin 37 40.7
With fentanyl 16 17.6
With alcohol 14 15.4
With cocaine 6 6.6
Fentanyl
Total 340
In combination
With heroin 220 64.7
With cocaine 67 19.7
With alcohol 66 19.4
With prescription opioids 54 15.9
With benzodiazepines 16 4.7
Alcohol
Total 309
In combination
With heroin 180 58.3
With fentanyl 66 21.4
With prescription opioids 55 17.8
With cocaine 45 14.6
With benzodiazepines 14 4.5
arrest warrant charging Brown with involuntary manslaughter, distribution of heroin, conspiracy to distribute heroin and reckless endangerment in the overdose death of Crystal Jean Ringgold.
