Woman faces child endangerment charges after disturbance

Gainesville resident Amanda Frazier Myrick, born in 1976, is charged with second degree endangering the welfare of a child when she was allegedly intoxicated and caused a disturbance at a Pontiac restaurant.

According to the probable cause statement filed by Ozark County Deputy Hunter Ryan, an employee of Just Jackie’s in Pontiac called the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department the afternoon of Aug. 31 and reported a woman in the restaurant who appeared to be intoxicated, unable to walk and was causing a scene, all while her juvenile daughter was present.

Deputy Ryan wrote that he and fellow Ozark County Deputy Josh Sherman, arrived at the restaurant and spoke with the employee who reported the incident. By the time officers arrived, Myrick’s juvenile daughter was outside of the restaurant. According to Ryan, Sherman spoke with the daughter while Ryan went inside the restaurant and spoke with Myrick.

“I approached Myrick and asked if she was aware of why law enforcement was called,” he wrote. After Myrick said she didn’t know, Sherman told her that persons had reported that she was intoxicated. However, she denied the accusation.

“During this conversation, I detected a strong odor of alcohol emanating from her person in an open-air environment,” according to the probable cause statement. “Myrick appeared confused, had difficulty maintaining conversation and was visibly swaying while standing.”

Ryan said he asked her where her daughter was and she told him her daughter was in the bathroom. However, this was inconsistent with the fact that Sherman was already speaking with the daughter outside of the restaurant. Ryan asked Myrick to step outside with him to continue the conversation.

“I inquired about her alcohol consumption and she admitted to consuming may three shots of 99s (a brand of flavored schnapps),” Ryan wrote. “I asked when she and her daughter arrived in Pontiac and she responded, ‘yesterday midday.’

“When asked what time they arrived at Just Jackie’s, Myrick stated ‘4 p.m.’ despite the current time being [3:47 p.m.]. She further stated they had been at the restaurant for ‘a couple of hours,’ which was inconsistent with the current time and her previous statement.

“I advised Myrick to provide truthful information...’ Ryan wrote.

Ryan asked Myrick if she had driven from her campsite to the restaurant and she said [she and her daughter] had walked. However, she later changed her statement to say that she had driven.

According to the probable cause statement, when Myrick entered the restaurant and appeared visibly intoxicated and was falling down. Employees said she ordered a beer but was refused service because of her apparent intoxication. Employees went on to report that Myrick made a phone call on speaker phone and was yelling and causing a disturbance in the restaurant.

Employees told Ryan that Myrick tried to pay for her meal but couldn’t find her wallet and her young daughter told her the wallet was in the vehicle. The daughter and an employee then looked for the car and they were unable to locate the vehicle.

“Due to concerns about Myrick’s ability to provide adequate care for her daughter in her current state, I asked if she had any family members who could take custody of [the daughter],” wrote Ryan. “Myrick attempted to contact her mother...and her boyfriend...but neither answered her calls.”

Ryan then placed Myrick under arrest and transported her to the Ozark County Jail. A breathalyzer or a blood sample were requested to determine Myrick’s blood alcohol content. However, Myrick refused both tests. 

Myrick’s daughter was transported the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Family Services was contacted. According to Ryan, the girl was signed over to DFS who placed the daughter in the custody of one of her school teachers.