Ohio Boy Pictured in Car With Heroin-Overdosed Adults Finds New Home

The 4-year-old boy shown in disturbing police photos of 2 overdosed adults behind the wheel has found a new home.

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The 4-year-old Ohio boy pictured in the backseat of an SUV while his heroin-overdosed grandmother and her boyfriend were slumped over at the wheel has found a new home. Columbiana County Juvenile Court administrator Dane Walton told reporters that a petition for custody had been granted Monday, CBS Newsreports. The boy will be moving in with his great uncle and great aunt in South Carolina.

Rhonda Pasek, the boy's grandmother, is currently being held by authorities on a child endangerment charge. James Acord, Pasek's boyfriend, pleaded guilty to his own child endangerment charge and a separate charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Walton told reporters Wednesday that Pasek had been granted custody just 6 weeks earlier, citing there was "no evidence" made available at the time that would have revealed any drug dependency issues.

 

When first sharing the photos to Facebook earlier this month, East Liverpool police said they were "aware" that some may find the photos offensive but felt the need to show the "other side" of heroin abuse. "We feel it necessary to show the other side of this horrible drug," police said at the time. "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."

When police first responded to reports of the Ford explorer driving erratically, Acord was at the wheel with Pasek passed out in the seat beside him. As Acord's speech started to slur and become more unintelligible, he too eventually passed out. Medical officials arrived at the scene and administered Narcan, a drug used to reverse the effects of a possible overdose.

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In an interview with CBS This Morning last year, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine outlined the severity of the state's heroin epidemic. "It's so pervasive it's in every part of Ohio," DeWine said. "We used to think of drug epidemics centering on cities. Not true at all. The dealers are going where the money is, and that's the suburbs and the rural areas."

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