- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Ohio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car

© AP Photo / Susan WalshPolice officers work behind police tape blocking a street near the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, Thursday, July 2, 2015
Police officers work behind police tape blocking a street near the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, Thursday, July 2, 2015 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
WARNING: Graphic content. A police department in Ohio posted unsettling photos of a couple who had overdosed on heroin in their vehicle, as a four-year-old child sat in the back seat.

The shocking photos of the incident were posted by the East Liverpool Police Department Thursday. The young child’s face was not blurred or otherwise obscured.

The department acknowledged the offensive nature of the post, but stated that it was important to share, as a means to encourage drug users to think twice about their actions.

© East Liverpool Police DepartmentOhio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car
Ohio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car - Sputnik International
Ohio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car

“We feel it necessary to show the other side of this horrible drug. We feel we need to be a voice for the children caught up in this horrible mess. This child can't speak for himself but we are hopeful his story can convince another user to think twice about injecting this poison while having a child in their custody,” the Facebook post stated.

They also hoped that the “non drug using public” would see the photos and see what the police “are dealing with on a daily basis.”

© East Liverpool PoliceOhio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car
Ohio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car - Sputnik International
Ohio Cops Publish Disturbing Photos of Overdosed Parents with Small Child in Car

FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Sgt. Chris Wicklund of the Burnsville, Minn., Police Department wears a body camera beneath his microphone - Sputnik International
Above and Beyond? Cincinnati Cops Want Extra Pay to Wear Body Cameras
“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 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,” the post read.

The incident took place Wednesday, after a police officer spotted a vehicle driving erratically. The cop watched as the car slammed on its brakes while approaching a stopped school bus dropping children off.

As the bus pulled away, the vehicle, driven by James Lee Acord, remained in the roadway and began to coast at an angle before coming to a stop.

When the officer approached the vehicle, Acord’s head was bobbing back and forth and his speech was unintelligible, but he was able to communicate that he was taking his passenger, Rhonda Pasek, to the emergency room. He then began to attempt to drive away, but the officer quickly reached in, turned the vehicle off and removed the keys. The officer then noticed a small child in the back seat, later identified as Pasek’s son. Acord then passed out as well.

An Afghan farmer works on a poppy field collecting the green bulbs swollen with raw opium, the main ingredient in heroin. - Sputnik International
Getting Higher: Congress Admits US Lost Drug War in Afghanistan

Pasek is charged with endangering children, public intoxication, and not wearing a seat belt. Acord is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering children, and slowing or stopping in a roadway. 

The post has garnered a mixture of reactions, with many expressing outrage over the shaming of the child.

“Educate the child in the backseat, who is more likely to be an addict like his parents,” a user commented, identifying themselves as a heroin addict that has been clean for three and a half years. 

“Don't embarrass and shame them. How is that helping?”

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала