GREENFIELD — A Greenfield mother faces criminal charges after local police found her overdosing on heroin a few feet from where her child was sleeping in a crib, according to court documents.
Patricia Carter, 29, 5371 E. County Road 300S, Greenfield, was booked into the Hancock County Jail this week after a brief hospital stay. She faces criminal charges accusing her of possession of an illegal drug and neglecting her 6-week-old baby, court documents state.
Investigators say Carter admitted to injecting heroin in the living room of her home Monday evening while her daughter slept in a bassinet nearby. Officers found drug paraphernalia sitting on a coffee table in the same room, inches from an open bottle of baby formula, according to court documents.
Police tried administering an overdose-reversing drug to Carter, but it did not revive her. Medics who responded to the scene rushed the woman to a local hospital, where she eventually regained consciousness. She was treated, released and immediately arrested, court documents state.
The Indiana Department of Child Services took custody of Carter’s daughter and placed the child in a family member’s care, according to court documents.
Now, Carter faces five criminal charges, court records show: one Level 5 felony count of unlawful possession of a syringe; one Level 5 felony count of possession of a narcotic drug; one Level 6 felony count of maintaining a common nuisance; one Level 6 felony count of neglect of a dependent; and one Class C misdemeanor of possession of paraphernalia.
She appeared in Hancock Circuit Court on Wednesday. She was being held in the Hancock County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond at press time.
A relative called 911 late Monday after finding Carter slumped over on the couch and barely breathing. Carter’s eyes had rolled back in her head, and she was making a wheezing sound, court documents state.
A Hancock County sheriff’s deputy, who arrived at the scene ahead of medics, tried to wake Carter. The deputy gave Carter a dose of Narcan, an overdose antidote that officers across the county carry with them to administer when they suspect a person is overdosing on narcotics, court documents state.
Medics arrived on scene moments later and began treating Carter, court documents state, and she was taken to Hancock Regional Hospital for further care.
Deputies found a syringe on the couch next to Carter, according to court documents.
A coffee table was positioned about a foot from where the baby was sleeping, officials said. On it, investigators found drug residue and paraphernalia, including a spoon and a piece of aluminum foil, court documents state.
An open bottle of baby formula mix was also sitting on the coffee table, according to police reports.
Police spoke with Carter at Hancock Regional Hospital after she regained consciousness. She admitted to using heroin in the minutes before she overdosed, court documents state. She told police it was the first time she’d used drugs in about 11 months, according to court documents.
Doctors kept Carter in the hospital for a few hours for observation, court documents state. She was released and booked into the Hancock County Jail just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, records show.
Prosecutors filed criminal charges against Carter Tuesday, and she appeared in court Wednesday afternoon.