Police post photos of adults overdosed on heroin with 4-year-old in the backseat
It’s a shocking photo. Two adults passed out in the front seat of a vehicle, with an alert but calm 4-year-old staring straight at the camera, as though he’s been through this before.
The lips of the woman are turning blue. She is the little boy’s grandmother.
The more you read of the police report, the worse the story gets. But the Ohio police department didn’t post the photos because it’s a shocking story — they posted them because it’s a common occurence.
An officer with the East Liverpool Police Department noticed a car driving erratically and screeching to a stop near a bus letting children off on Wednesday afternoon, according to an arrest report.
The officer approached the vehicle and noticed the driver’s head was bobbing back and forth and he could barely speak. The man, identified as James Acord, said he was taking the woman, Rhonda Pasek, to the hospital. She was passed out in the front seat next to him.
Acord tried to move the gear shift and the officer reached in to shut the vehicle off and take the keys. He noticed the 4-year-old boy in the backseat, who was Pasek’s grandson and in her custody.
Acord then went completely unconscious. Pasek was turning blue. The officer summoned emergency services and both were given narcan, a drug used to reverse overdoses.
The child was taken into protective custody and both adults are being charged with child endangerment.
The photos and full police report were posted on the police department’s Facebook page on Thursday. The post says after conferring with the department’s law director, they felt posting the photos was necessary for the community.
“We are well aware that some may be offended by these images and for that we are truly sorry, but it is time that the non drug using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis,” the post reads. “The poison known as heroin has taken a strong grip on many communities not just ours, the difference is we are willing to fight this problem until it’s gone and if that means we offend a few people along the way we are prepared to deal with that.”
There were mixed reactions to the photos. Some said police could’ve found other ways to get the community’s attention besides revealing the child’s face.
“As for the PD, shame on you, making these photos public. The child will have enough issues as is without the photos. What about their families? Would you want your child, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, whatever shown this way to the world?” one user wondered. “If a civilian did this there would be criminal charges, my guess, the officers who took the photos and posted them will not see any charges or face any consequences. Yes this is the end game for most junkies but out of respect for their family these photos should have remained private.”
Others praised the police department for calling attention to the issue.
“Did you ever think that as graphic as this picture is, it could save even one life. Addiction is a disease yes. I’ve been clean for 6 years but at the heart of it I’m still an addict,” another wrote. “And the fact of the matter, disease or not, addicts need to be held accountable for their actions. They need to see what they caused.”
The heroin overdose death rate has exploded nationwide over the past decade. There were 10,574 fatal overdoses related to heroin in 2014 and it is currently the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., surpassing car accidents.
This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Police post photos of adults overdosed on heroin with 4-year-old in the backseat."