Woman seen in shocking pics ‘overdosing on heroin’ in a car with her young grandson is JAILED for 180 days
The boy's grandmother and another adult were found passed out in the front seat while the scared child, 4, sat in the back
A GRANDMOTHER seen passed out in a car after allegedly overdosing on heroin while her 4-year-old grandson sat in the back seat has been jailed.
Rhonda Pasek, 50, previously pleaded not guilty to endangering a child, disorderly conduct and public intoxication after her shocking photo went viral.
But she withdrew that plea and entered a plea of no contest at a court in East Liverpool, Ohio, US, on Thursday.
She was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $280 (£211) on the child endangering charge, the maximum penalty under state law.
She was also fined on her other charges.
The infamous photo, distributed by the East Liverpool Police Department, showed Pasek sitting in the passenger seat slumped next to the unconscious driver while her 4-year-old grandson was seated in the back, looking out the window.
She had been granted custody of her grandson six weeks before her arrest on September 7, officials said. The boy's parents had been unable to raise him.
He will now live with his great-aunt and great-uncle in South Carolina, Walton added.
Last week, a police spotted a car weaving erratically between lanes, according to an affidavit.
Related Stories
The driver, James Acord, was trying to tell the officer that he was transporting Pasek to the hospital when he lost consciousness.
Paramedics then administered an opiate reversal agent to Pasek, who was turning blue. The pair "almost definitely" would have died had police not intervened, East Liverpool service safety director Brian Allen had told CNN.
Acord pleaded no contest to operating a vehicle while impaired and endangering a child. He was sentenced last week to 360 days in jail, had his driver's license suspended for three years and was fined $475 (£359).
The city of East Liverpool said it released the photos of the pair to raise awareness about the perils of heroin.
"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," the Facebook post read.