The growing epidemic of heroin use in the U.S. is once again making headlines. Hope, Indiana, police officers found Erika Hurt passed out behind the wheel of her car in the parking lot of a store. Her 10-month-old child was crying in the backseat. The syringe was still in Hurt’s hand when the officers responded to the scene. She was revived and taken to a hospital, and police charged her with child neglect and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to police, family members indicated that the young mother had just been released from rehab a little over two weeks ago. She had prior arrests for drug offenses and petty crime according to court documents.
A decision was made by town Marshal Matthew Tallent to release the bodycam images to the public to draw awareness to the rise in heroin use across Indiana’s small communities. Hope, Indiana, has a population of around 2,100 and is not immune to the heroin epidemic. Tallent stated to the media, “Parents are doing this more often with children in the car because they are doing it away from someone who is going to disapprove. This is becoming a new norm for drug users. My intention with these photos is not to shame the mother, although I realize it may appear embarrassing. I honestly think this picture should be used as an educational tool because I want people to see what this drug is doing.”
The rising tide of opioid use has been linked to prescription drug addiction across the country. Heroin in some cases is often cheaper and more readily available than prescription pain medication. The increase in heroin overdoses has also been tied to the drug being laced with Fentanyl and Carfentanil, typically used to sedate elephants and other large animals.
