A mother in Ohio is facing multiple drug charges after her 7-year-old son showed up to school under the influence of cocaine and was hospitalized.
Teachers noticed the child appeared unusually tired when he arrived at North Elementary School in Urbana, Ohio, April 16 and subsequently became unresponsive during lunch. Paramedics were called and rushed the boy to Urbana Mercy Health Hospital for treatment, where doctors discovered he had cocaine in his system, reports the Independent.
The mother showed up at the hospital several hours later and was subsequently arrested by police, who found the unidentified woman to be under the influence of cocaine, methamphetamine, and the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. She admitted to police she believed her son likely inhaled the drugs in the morning when she left him unattended before school.
“It almost brings a tear to your eye,” said neighbor Benjamin Cash, according to the Independent. “It’s crazy. You got to be thankful for the good staff members and good teachers.”
The mother faces a charge of possession of cocaine, meth and fentanyl, however, officials say additional charges are likely. Authorities say the 7-year-old boy was treated and will make a full recovery.
Opioids are killing a record number of people in Ohio, which now has the second highest death rate from drug overdoses in the U.S. behind only West Virginia.
The state lost 4,329 residents to drug overdoses in 2016, a 24 percent increase over 2015, due to a massive influx of fentanyl. Nearly 40 per 100,000 people now die from drug-related overdoses in Ohio.
Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death for Americans under age 50, claiming more than 64,000 lives in 2016.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.