A mother and daughter in Pennsylvania were arrested after police say they were caught shooting heroin in their car with the daughter’s 6-month-old son in the backseat.
Police say they were called to the Sheetz on Harvey Avenue in Greensburg on Wednesday around 11:16 a.m.
The caller, who just happened to be a Children and Youth Services worker, stated that she saw someone parked at the pumps of the gas station injecting something into their arm with a syringe. When police arrived on the scene, they found 43-year-old Karen Gillespie and her daughter 23-year-old Courtney Jording using heroin.
“The daughter was shooting heroin into the mother’s arm while at the gas pumps,” reported Capt. Chad Zucco of Greensburg Police.
More disturbingly, while they were using heroin, Jording’s 6-month-old son was found in the backseat of the car in an unsecured car seat wearing a dirty diaper.
“The car seat was not secured. It was just sitting in the back seat; further, the child had a wet diaper. They looked in the car to find diapers for the baby and there were none.”
Police also confiscated 41 stamp bags of heroin , 16 empty bags of heroin, four syringes, and two spoons.
“We’re thankful to the person that called. We’re thankful that we got there quick and were able to stop them quick before they got back on the road and hurt somebody or hurt the baby or anybody else.”
Gillespie and her daughter, Jording, are facing charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility, possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and most importantly, endangering the welfare of a child. Additionally, Gillespie faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver the heroin.
Gillespie and Jording are being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. Bond has been set at $10,000.
According to the Associated Press , the baby has been placed with a family member. The Westmoreland County Child’s Bureau is currently investigating the case.
As reported by the Inquisitr in January, car accidents because of heroin use are a rising problem in the United States. Media reports show people are using heroin while driving. In Cincinnati, heroin-related car accidents are almost a daily occurrence.
Earlier this year, a woman from Michigan left her children in the freezing car while she went into a McDonald’s bathroom to use heroin. She overdosed and was rushed to the hospital and given Narcan, a drug that counteracts the effects of heroin.
Heroin use has risen in the United States. The CDC reports that between 2002 and 2013, heroin use has risen a shocking 60 percent.
[Image via Greensburg Police]
