BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
STARKE— A circuit judge told a 34-year-old pregnant woman that if having a life growing inside of her was not enough motivation to stop her from using drugs, he was powerless to stop her.
Judge James M. Colaw sentenced Angela Maria Dawn Maddix to 90 days in jail for probation violations.
In January, Maddix pleaded no contest to the July 29, 2022, offense of forgery of a bank check, the Aug. 7, 2022, offenses of vehicle theft and credit card theft and the July 22, 2022, offense of dealing in stolen property.
Colaw sentenced the Starke woman to 36 days in jail, with 36 days credit for time already served, one year of drug offender community control and two years’ drug offender probation.
Two months later, a probation officer reported that Maddix had not made any court-ordered payments nor secured employment as required under the terms of her community control. The officer added that Maddix tested positive for THC and cocaine twice in March and admitted to continued use of marijuana and cocaine, which she blamed on stress.
The following month the officer visited Maddix’s home to confirm she was in compliance with the terms of her community control sentence, which required her to remain at home except for employment, public service work or any other activities approved by the officer.
After the officer discovered the defendant was not home, he called Maddix and asked her where she was. The woman responded that she was at Starke’s emergency department with medical issues. However, when the probation officer said he was driving to the hospital to verify Maddix’s claim, she admitted she was fishing at Sampson Lake.
Before Maddix’s guilty plea to the violations, Colaw told the defendant and her lawyer that he had just been informed Maddix had failed a third drug test on April 25.
Maddix and her lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Eddie Edwards, asked the judge to send the defendant to an inpatient treatment center. They told Colaw she was having complications with her pregnancy.
“I don’t know what to do,” Colaw responded. “I’m convinced there is nothing that I can do, in terms of a sentence, that’s going to provide you any motivation to stop using drugs if having a life inside of you isn’t providing that motivation. I can’t match that.”
“That’s you,” he continued. “That’s part of you that is completely beholden to you, completely helpless to what you are going to do or not do for him or her, and that’s not enough motivation to stop using drugs. I’m just convinced I can’t do anything to make you stop.”
The judge added that his only option was to sentence Maddix to jail, where she would remain for at least 90 days until bed space at a treatment center became available.
“I’m terrified for your baby,” the judge added. “I’m terrified.”
