Grandmother of 'Heroin Boy' in Controversial Photo Gets 6 Months After Pleading No Contest
Rhonda Pasek pleaded no contest to endangering a child and public intoxication.
The grandmother pictured slumped over in a car — allegedly suffering from a heroin overdose — with her grandson in the back seat has pleaded no contest to charges of endangering a child and public intoxication.
Read: 4th Case of ODing Parents With Kid Nearby Is Latest Example of Heroin Plight Gripping America
On Thursday, Rhonda Pasek, 50, was sentenced to six months in an East Liverpool, Ohio, court.
Police there shared shocking photos of the scene on social media with the boy's face clearly visible last week to bring attention to the local heroin scourge they claim has reached epidemic proportions.
“The child in the photo represents thousands and thousands of other children in similar circumstances,” prosecutor John Gamble told reporters after the sentencing.
Pasek's boyfriend, James Acord, 47, who was behind the wheel of the car in the photo, was sentenced to nearly a full year in prison after pleading no contest to child endangerment and operating a vehicle under the influence last week.
Pasek spoke only briefly, to answer questions from the judge.
Read: Cops: Photos of Adults Overdosing With Child, 4, in Car Shed Light on 'Epidemic'
The boy was being raised by the grandmother after his mom reportedly lost custody.
When she saw those disturbing photos, the mother said: "I bawled for four days straight."
A Juvenile Court judge has granted custody of the boy to relatives in South Carolina.
According to The Canadian Press, “Pasek's attorney says her client is embarrassed by the international attention the photos have received and wanted the case over with.”
Watch: Canine Nearly Dies After Man Tosses 17 Bags of Heroin Over Fence and Into Doggy Day Care
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