Snyder County woman finds redemption after addiction, prison
MIDDLEBURG — Devon Lafty didn't realize the impact losing several loved ones as a child would have on her emotional well-being until she struggled with addiction and served prison time years later.
Now 32, sober and in counseling, Lafty, of Beavertown, said she is learning to live a joyful and faithful life.
"I had never truly dealt with all that happened in my life," she said of her decision to address the trauma that kept her in a cycle of drug abuse and lawlessness for a decade. "Addiction is like living a nightmare, but you're awake for it."
The eldest of eight children, Lafty was raised by a supportive mother and stepfather, Shannon and Fern Druckemiller.
When she was around the age of 11, her 3-day-old brother died after being born with a genetic disorder. Within about a year, a grandfather, aunt, uncle and cousin also passed away.
Death, Lafty, said "became normal for me as an adolescent."
The deaths of two middle school classmates in a 2005 vehicle accident reignited a sadness and anger in Lafty that she was unable to express and she eventually began using painkillers to numb the grief.
"My parents didn't tolerate it," she recalled of her drug use. She was enrolled in drug counseling and encouraged to obtain a high school diploma.
Shannon Druckemiller said she relocated her family from a drug-ridden Philadelphia neighborhood to western Snyder County when her oldest daughter was 6.
"It's amazing how (drugs) are everywhere," she said.
After graduating high school, Lafty left home and moved in with a boyfriend and his parents and began working at a local restaurant.
Her addiction to opioids grew to include methamphetamine and she lost her job, her boyfriend and home.
"I was on the streets, living on people's couches," Lafty said. "I was 20, depressed and addicted. I couldn't get any lower."
But she did. To support her drug habit, Lafty began burglarizing homes and was arrested on several felony charges that landed her a prison term of 2 to 5 years at the age of 21.
Druckemiller said she always worried about her daughter and was relieved when she ended up in jail "because I knew she was safe and clean" from drugs.
After serving "two years, two months and two days," Lafty was released from her first stint in prison and given a second chance to return to work.
While many supporters were excited about Lafty's release, she recalls feeling as if it wouldn't be the last time she'd see the inside of a prison cell due to the pull of her addiction.
"I did know better, but I hadn't dealt with everything," she said. "Addiction is exhausting, but I was mad at the world and my heart was torn."
For several years, Lafty found herself in a revolving door of drug rehabilitation centers, courtrooms and prisons before becoming pregnant. Three days after her daughter, Willow, now 7, was born, Lafty, who was on parole, was returned to jail briefly due to drugs being found in her system. Her newborn was taken away and put in the care of her mother.
Willow's father, Tyler Haines, was also struggling with addiction. Lafty said he was as present as he could be in Willow's life, as well as his two other children, before he died from a drug overdose in March 2022.
It was Haines' death that caused Lafty to finally take control of her life.
"Seeing the heartache in my daughter's eyes" changed everything for her. "I thought, what's important? Willow or drugs. They say you can't get sober for someone else, but love wins," she said.
Lafty was involved in Snyder County drug court, but due to her unresolved trauma issues, has been moved into mental health court where she is receiving counseling to address problems that led to her drug use.
"Now I have to heal and I have to deal" with issues, she said.
Lafty has been working for the past two years on her sobriety and her mental health while living with her daughter's great-grandparents, Clark and Jean Camp, of Beavertown.
"It's been a roller coaster ride," said Clark Camp, 77, who recalls telling Lafty that he and his wife, like her own parents, would always be there for her. "I told her years ago, 'I won't give up on you until one of us is dead.' We do it because of the love of Jesus."
Their faith in God has meant a lot to to Lafty, who was raised Catholic and views her re-found faith as key in helping her maintain sobriety and a relationship with her daughter.
Lafty expects to graduate from mental health court in July and is focused on getting well while raising her daughter with her parents.
"I'm present with my child. I love being a mom," she said. "Now I try to look at the bigger picture and the purpose of life. I know there's still going to be ups and downs in life, but it's so nice to feel it and not numb it."
