Lauren Story, 29, was arrested and charged Thursday after video of the event surfaced in an alley of the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, according to our news partners at WCPO-TV.
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Video captured Story’s 4-year-old son playing on a smartphone while she injects a suspected drug into her arm.
“[Story and the man] were not paying attention to the boy at all, their focus was on their drugs... the boy was just sitting against the wall, really behaving and watching [them] just put poison in their arms,” Jon Donaldson, a Over-the-Rhine resident who witnessed the incident told WCPO-TV.
According to court records, Story was arrested Thursday on suspicion of child endangering, based on the video captured. Police also charged her with illegal use and possession of drug abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia after finding syringes and other items with her during the arrest.
Story’s sister, Morgan Story, told WCPO-TV the video was heartbreaking for her and her family, but not surprising. Morgan said Lauren has been dealing with substance abuse issues for years including drinking, pain pills, and now heroin.
“She changed,” Morgan said. “It was just a gradual descent. I don’t even thing she saw herself going down that road until she was gone.”
“I hope this is rock bottom. If it isn’t, I don’t want to think about what would be.”
Lauren is due in a Hamilton County court Friday.
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