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Washington mother accused of giving children heroin | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A young couple in the US state of Washington are accused of injecting three young children with heroin to "make them go to sleep". | A young couple in the US state of Washington are accused of injecting three young children with heroin to "make them go to sleep". |
Police say Ashlee Hutt and Mac Leroy McIver were found living with three children, aged six, four and two, among rat droppings, drug needles and heroin. | Police say Ashlee Hutt and Mac Leroy McIver were found living with three children, aged six, four and two, among rat droppings, drug needles and heroin. |
Ms Hutt appeared in court on Monday and faces child endangerment charges. Mr McIver faces similar charges. | Ms Hutt appeared in court on Monday and faces child endangerment charges. Mr McIver faces similar charges. |
The three children were removed from the home last November. | The three children were removed from the home last November. |
The couple deny the charges against them. | The couple deny the charges against them. |
Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer told The Washington Post: "The kids lived in deplorable conditions. It wasn't a good living situation even without the issue of heroin." | Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer told The Washington Post: "The kids lived in deplorable conditions. It wasn't a good living situation even without the issue of heroin." |
According to court documents, the six-year-old told investigators the couple gave him "feel good medicine" which he described "as white powder which was mixed with water" and injected with needles. | According to court documents, the six-year-old told investigators the couple gave him "feel good medicine" which he described "as white powder which was mixed with water" and injected with needles. |
He said after they were injected the three children would go to sleep. | He said after they were injected the three children would go to sleep. |
Two of the children tested positive for the drug, and puncture marks and bruising, consistent with needle injections were also found on the children's bodies, according to reports. | Two of the children tested positive for the drug, and puncture marks and bruising, consistent with needle injections were also found on the children's bodies, according to reports. |
Both Ms Hutt and Mr McIver have pleaded not guilty to the charges, though they both admitted to being heroin users. | Both Ms Hutt and Mr McIver have pleaded not guilty to the charges, though they both admitted to being heroin users. |
In September, Ohio police released a graphic photo of a couple overdosing on heroin with a boy in the car to raise awareness of the state's heroin problem. | In September, Ohio police released a graphic photo of a couple overdosing on heroin with a boy in the car to raise awareness of the state's heroin problem. |
The US is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic - drug overdose has become the leading cause of accidental death, overtaking traffic accidents. | The US is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic - drug overdose has become the leading cause of accidental death, overtaking traffic accidents. |
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