Sobriety, motherhood thanks to Drug Court

BONNERS FERRY — A very special baby shower was held at the Boundary County Courthouse on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Boundary County Drug Court, a program that offers treatment instead of jail time to non-violent, substance abusing offenders, has two new baby boys in its midst. Cheyenne Solt and Ashley Tritt, both participants in the program, gave birth only days apart, and the members of the drug court wanted to celebrate with them.

“I am grateful to see that Cheyenne and Ashley have support from their families, drug court, probation, court personnel, friends, the tribe, and drug court graduates,” said First District Problem Solving Court Manager, Marilyn Miller. “These baby boys are going to have the best start in life. They were born healthy, to healthy mothers who are learning about self-care, and as a result will be able to care for them.”

For Solt, the program has been a successful journey so far and said that it has changed her life. This is the longest that she has been sober since she was 15 years old — a year.

“Honestly, this program is the whole reason I have a son. I didn’t intend on having children because I was in active use and I didn’t want to put my children through that,” said Solt. “Now I am a mom and he is my whole world.”

Before the baby shower began, they held a short drug court session, followed by a talk from drug court graduate and mom, Crystal Weaselhead, who had a baby boy during her drug court experience and was pregnant with a second child when she graduated.

Weaselhead was able to share her experiences with the new moms, not just about motherhood, but also how to do it while still in recovery. She graduated from the program in September 2018.

“A day I thought I would never see,” she said.

“I gave it my all — I surrendered — and I realized that drug court was here to benefit me,” Weaselhead said, explaining her journey through the program.

For new mom, Tritt, this was a second chance in the program. She graduated from drug court in 2017, after starting it in Bonner County.

“I don’t think I took the program seriously. I didn’t make any lifestyle changes,” she said about her first experience. “I kind of white knuckled it.”

This time has been different for her.

“I am really blessed to be here,” said Tritt. “Now that I have my son, I couldn’t imagine being without him or doing anything that could jeopardize losing him. I just love being around him.”

Tritt’s mother, Jennifer Van Etten, had been through so much with her daughter that she wasn’t sure if this day would ever come, and she is thrilled with the results.

“It is wonderful to have Ashley here and to see her grow and blossom as a mom,” said Van Etten. “I am very proud and very pleased.”

“I think it gives these young moms a chance to be a mom,” she said about the program. “It think that this is great — it is amazing — and we need more support from the community in these projects.”

The participants, once chosen for the 18-month program, are required to do regular drug and alcohol testing, and also attend two meetings a week, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or another faith-based meeting. It surrounds them with a healing, sober community, while not removing them from their lives completely.

“Cheyenne and Ashley have a recovery community to call upon, not only for sobriety, but for guidance on how to be a mother in recovery as well,” said Miller. “Now these two new little ones have healthy clean moms ready to provide the love and care that would not have been the case if they were in active addiction.”

Miller expressed how proud she was of the new moms and their progress in the drug court

“Now the drug court has two new precious members... our new little boys,” she said. “We claim them too.”