Look Who it Was Random video

Second Chances: Iowa Drug Offender Shares Her Story

1,679 views · Published 16 January 2014 · 8:39 · Indexed 20 October 2026

Channel: Iowa PBS · 2014 · Education

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Originally aired November 24, 2000 on Iowa Public Television's "Living in Iowa" program.
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"22-year old Amy Cresswell was sentenced to five years in a federal prison for her role in the drug-related death of her 14-year old cousin Jessica Smith. Jessica Smith is believed to be the youngest Iowan to die of a methamphetamine overdose. There were three other adults convicted in the case and they are all serving from 12 to 20 years in prison. Amy's sentence was less because the judge took into account how she spent the year before her sentencing. She spent the year visiting schools in southeast Iowa talking about how drugs killed her cousin and nearly destroyed her own life.
Amy started speaking thanks to the help of Bob Barnes, a retired schoolteacher from Letts, Iowa who, as a grandfather, was concerned about the meth problem. He wanted to find someone who could talk to young people first-hand about drugs. He found Amy and together the two traveled to schools delivering a message to stay away from drugs. Today, Amy is serving the first year of her five-year sentence. Amy has a three-year old daughter who lives with Amy's mother Candy in Fort Madison. She only gets to see her daughter on weekends. Amy tells her story in a simple and straightforward manner, omitting almost all excuses. She talks about choices and consequences and admits that her own family influenced her drug use because of their own alcohol and drug problems, but says in the end, the choice to use was hers. Her biggest consequence being Jessica Smith's death."

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