Woman Gives Birth, Leaves Hospital to Get Heroin

A woman and two men are facing charges after she gave birth at Waukesha Memorial Hospital and left the hospital to purchase heroin in Milwaukee, according to a criminal complaint.

Kaitlyn Ann Pahl, 19, of Burlington, Ryan Alden Schneider 24, of New Berlin, and Max L. Hirshinger, 22, of Waukesha, were charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Monday on three drug-related charges. If convicted, Pahl and Schneider face up to 3 ½ years in prison and Hirshinger faces up to six years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint:

On April 9, a Milwaukee police officer on patrol in the 1600 block of West Hampton Avenue spotted the three in a car with Hirshinger sitting in the back seat and not wearing a seatbelt. The officer pulled them over and Hirshinger put on his belt while being pulled over.

Hirshinger was shaking while the officer spoke to him and said he didn’t have a license. He was ordered out of the car and officers spotted 12 folds of heroin inside a plastic bag and 12 syringes.

Pahl, who was driving the car, was also shaking and said she had given birth within the past four days before the incident. She said she had given birth at Waukesha Memorial Hospital and had been there to feed her baby when they decided to get in contact with another man so they could buy heroin.

Pahl, Hirshinger and Schneider contacted the other man who said he didn’t have heroin, but referred them to a dealer near North 48th Street and West Hampton Avenue in Milwaukee where they eventually got the drugs.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 25.