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Harrowing meth story told in Pine River
Staff Writer PINE RIVER -- Two years ago, David Parnell took an SKS assault rifle, laid it on his stomach, put the barrel to his face, switched off the safety and fired a shot into his chin.
A methamphetamine addict, Parnell believed he would never be able to conquer the hold the powerful drug had on him. This would be his second and last attempt at suicide, the only way he saw to break his addiction.
The bullet entered under his chin and exited between his eyes, shattering everything in its way -- skin, teeth, bones, the roof of his mouth and his nose. He was rushed to a hospital, written off as dead.
But he did live and it was his experience, which he shares around the country, that ultimately ended up saving his life and getting him off meth.
Parnell, who lives in Martin, Tenn., shared his story as an addict Thursday to a crowd of about 100 people at a public forum on meth at the Pine River-Backus High School. A drug addict since he was 13 years old -- seven of those years dedicated to meth -- the 38-year-old wants people to learn from his experiences.
"This is the worst drug ever to hit United States soil," said the father of seven children. "This stuff will absolutely destroy a community."
Parnell has had more than 15 surgeries to repair his face, which still carries the scars and damage of his attempt to escape meth. He said his meth use turned him against his wife and children. He said the more he used, the more paranoid and violent he became, once holding an unloaded shotgun to his wife's head and pulling the trigger.
"It turns you cold, callous and cold-hearted," Parnell said. "I had no love or compassion for other human beings in my life. I could hate, but I couldn't love."
Today Parnell is sober, and he credits his renewed faith in Christianity and his speaking appearances with helping him stay sober.
"These presentations are like therapy for me," he said. "My kids now tell me, 'Daddy, you're not the same man anymore.'"
It is stories like Parnell's that Cass County officials hope to spread to residents. Public awareness and education is one of the goals of a meth work group formed by Cass County officials to promote coordination and assess the needs of county offices in dealing with meth.
So far, Cass County officials are still assessing how much of a meth problem they have on their hands.
"We haven't seen the large numbers other counties have seen," said Cass County Health and Human Services Director Dorothy Opheim, though she admits there still is a problem.
"This chemical is somewhat like a dirty bomb," said Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force head Mike Diekmann during a panel discussion following Parnell's presentation. "Its devastation is overwhelming."
Bob Kangas, Cass County Board chairman, said the county has been discussing a possible ordinance regulating the sale of meth precursors, such as ephedrine-containing products, but is waiting to see if the Legislature passes a resolution to the same effect. Crow Wing County has passed an ordinance mandating drugs used to make meth, called precursor drugs, only be displayed and offered for sale behind a checkout counter, within a pharmacy or other controlled counter where the public is not permitted.
Kangas said for now the best money is spent educating children. He said Cass County residents will be impacted in terms of dollars.
"Treatment is going to cost a lot of money; we haven't seen the tip of the iceberg," Kangas said. "We have it here, but we don't know what's waiting for us down the road."
Terry Sluss, Crow Wing County commissioner and county meth prevention coordinator, opened Thursday's forum with a slide show detailing meth's history, how it's made and the damaging effects it can have on the body, the brain and the user's life. He noted that in 2004, Crow Wing County spent more than $1.8 million battling meth. But the effort appears to be working, he noted, as meth labs fell from seven between January to June of 2004 to zero from July of 2004 to now.
The forum was sponsored by the Cass County Violence Prevention Group and Pine River-Backus Community Education.
MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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