A Ohio couple were charged with child endangerment after heroin was found in the system of their 8-year old son. Each were held on a $150,000 bond as they are set to appear for a pre-trial on Feb. 22.
AJC reported that on Jan. 11, the police responded to reports that a boy was not breathing at a home in Berea, a suburb of Cleveland. They found the child unresponsive as his father gave him chest compressions. In a 911 audio report, the voice of a man was heard pleading frantically with the dispatcher and shouting at a nearby woman.
After police officers found a pulse on the child, he was transported to a nearby hospital. Law enforcers believed that the parents namely Charles Dowdy and Danielle Simko were using illegal drugs after syringes and drugs were found on the property. Hospital staff later found a small bag of heroin inside the boy's socck. Dowdy admitted that he used drugs inside house earlier that day. Dayton Daily News revealed that the couple are set to appear before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Peter Corrigan 9:30 am on Feb. 22. They were arraigned last Friday.
The Washington Post revealed that Ohio's Cuyahuga County is one of the most affected region in the growing opioid epidemic. Figures revealed by the county medical examiner place fatal overdose from heroin, fentanyl, or a combination of both at 46 last January alone. Last year, there were a total of 517 death in the county due to overdose of heroin, fentanyl, or a combination of both.
Earlier this month, the Berea Police Department shared a video revolving around the topic of "reality of drug use."
"There is no city in this country that is immune to drug problems, and Berea is no exception. The scenes in this video will be all too familiar to the families who have a loved one suffering from a drug addiction." the department said in a statement.
