After a drug transaction Friday in a Fort Pierce motel, detectives say 32-year-old Rebecca Miggins watched her buyer collapse.
"And she left him there on the floor in an unconscious state. She left him there to die," St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said.
So in a first-of-its-kind case, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office charged Miggins with attempted murder. The Sheriff said had Miggins called 9-1-1 to get that man help, she would likely not be in this position.
“The victim was able to recount circumstances leading up to overdose. Was able to ID seller and seller herself said, 'I gave him pure Fentanyl and left him on the ground unconscious,' " Sheriff Mascara said.
Fentanyl is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine.
In June, Governor Scott signed a new law which states drug dealers could face murder charges if their customers overdose and die using fentanyl. It also increases penalties for dealers selling fentanyl.
Reacting to Tuesday’s charges, Kerry Wyland, a spokeswoman for the governor said: “Governor Scott has said that this law is an important step to fighting the opioid epidemic and making sure our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to keep families safe.” The governor is proud of the work our law enforcement officers are doing and will work with the Legislature next session to find additional ways to combat opioid abuse in Florida.”
After her arrest, deputies taking Miggins to jail discovered she had concealed a baggie of a heroin/fentanyl mix inside her private parts.
“We actually had to close down our jail sally port. We had to secure the vehicle and bring it here to sheriff’s office for decontamination as well as the deputies," Sheriff Mascara said.
Deputies charged Miggins with attempted homicide during a specific felony, two counts of tampering with or destroying evidence, four counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of introduction of contraband into a detention facility.
She is currently being held on a $415,000 bond.
The St. Lucie County fire chief says in the past three years, they have nearly tripled their use of Narcan to revive overdose victims.