Phoenix police officers arrested 24-year-old Scott Marley, who is believed to be homeless, after he was allegedly found passed out in his vehicle with a needle protruding from his arm. Fox 10 Phoenix reports that he had two children, a 1- and 5-year-old, in the backseat of the vehicle during the time.
Maricopa County Superior Court records indicate that police received a 911 call from a passerby around 7 p.m. on Thursday about a man, later identified as Marley, passed out inside a van at the Arco gas station near 35th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.
Police found Marley’s vehicle parked at another location, a Circle K. When officers spoke with him they discovered a needle on the floor between the driver’s seat and the driver’s door. An unidentified woman was sitting in the passenger seat and appeared to be showing signs of a drug overdose.
Emergency medical services were called to the scene, and the woman was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Her condition is unknown.
Meanwhile, Marley was asked to exit his vehicle after police uncovered that he did not have a valid license or identification card. He was then given a field sobriety test which he reportedly failed.
Police say that Marley stated that he used heroin earlier that morning. He later admitted that an hour before he was found passed out in his vehicle with two children in the backseat, he injected heroin.
Marley was arrested at the scene. He is facing “two counts of aggravated DUI with a passenger under the age of 15 and aggravated DUI with a suspended license.”
It was not immediately made clear if the children, who were not hurt, in the vehicle are Marley’s biological children, but they have been placed in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Officials with DCS stated that there has been an increase in drug-related calls in recent years. They have now “implemented several new programs to help addicts recover and keep their children.”
Susan Smith, a prevention administrator with the Department of Child Safety, said, “Hopefully, those parents look at this as a crisis, an opportunity for change. Some families aren’t ready to leave the drug situation and addictions, and others are wanting to make those changes, willing to make changes, and do make those changes.”
Marley appeared before a judge at the Maricopa County Superior Court following his arrest, and he was released from jail on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 26 for a preliminary hearing.
[Featured Image by Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]
