A troubled past preceded a young woman’s conviction for drug possession in Muskoka, a Bracebridge court heard recently.
Andrea Couchie, 25, was charged with drug possession after she was arrested shortly after midnight on July 19 by police in Huntsville. Police had received information that the driver of a vehicle she was travelling in might be carrying drugs. Upon stopping the vehicle, police found Couchie was also wanted on a warrant by the OPP’s Temiskaming detachment.
Federal prosecutor Peter Heath said police found drug paraphernalia and a pipe with oxycodone residue in the rear passenger area during a search of the car. The same residue was also found on two other glass pipes and three spoons uncovered in various areas of the car.
“Suffice to say, there were a variety of items with oxycodone residue,” said Heath.
In her sentence Couchie was given six days credit for time served in jail since her arrest.
Prior to sentencing, her attorney Tamara Joseph drew the court’s attention to Couchie’s troubled upbringing. She said Couchie had grown up on a First Nations reserve, and that both of her maternal grandparents had gone through the residential school system. Joseph said Couchie’s mother, a Status Indian, suffered from alcohol and substance abuse problems, and that her father also had problems with alcohol.
Joseph told the court that Couchie has had addictions to medications since she was 12, when she underwent a dental procedure. However, she also said Couchie has been undergoing methadone treatment since March.
Judge J.D. Evans urged Couchie to continue taking steps necessary to overcome her addiction issues.
“It’s kind of a sad future you’re looking at until you get the help you need,” he said.