CONNERSVILLE, Ind. – An alarming number of recent heroin overdoses have been reported in Fayette County.
The Connersville Police Department released numbers showing within a 20-day period, there were 20 reported overdoses with five proving fatal.
Police Chief David Counceller said the overdoses involved individuals between ages 17 and 34.
Community members in Connersville have formed a task force to address the ongoing issue.
Heroin has tightened its grip in communities across the nation, and Southeast Indiana is no exception.
In the 1970’s and ‘80s, the trade and usage of heroin was primarily centered in urban America. What was once the drug unheard of outside downtown has now become the topic of conversation in our hometown.
Experts say part of the problem can be traced to addiction to painkillers.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Noel Houze explains, “Heroin seems to be less expensive than prescription pills, considerably less expensive. So that could be part of what we contribute to the increase in heroin usage in the area.”
Some may wonder how a high school student could even acquire heroin. Sgt. Houze, whose district serves ten counties, says, “There are quantities that come from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville, but here in Southeastern Indiana the majority comes from Cincinnati.”
What was once considered an inner-city problem now transcends beyond city limits and socioeconomic classes.
While it may not be our family ripped apart by a heroin overdose, or our loved one arrested for heroin possession, those real-life tragedies seem to frequently appear on our television screen during the local evening news.
Cincinnati’s WLWT Channel 5 News anchor and former East Central student Sheree Paolello is no stranger to the growing problem in recent years.
When we asked the veteran journalist if any stories she has covered through her career left a lasting impact on her, she instantly recounted a Northern Kentucky family.
“They were middle to upper class, they seemed like the All-American family, and they had a son, Casey, who got involved in heroin,” Paolello recalls.
Casey’s mom tried to get help for her addicted son who was old enough to check himself out of rehab. She even pleaded judges to lock-up her son to save him from self-destruction.
“They didn’t [arrest] him that day and days later he ended up overdosing and dying,” Paolello remembers. “And on that day, they got a court order saying he had to go back to jail.”
“You think that these things can’t happen to you. You think that if, you are in a certain neighborhood, of a certain class, that this isn’t going to touch your life,” Paolello said.
“Her story has always hit home with me because ever since then, we have seen the problem of heroin and how it has taken over every facet of the Tri-State.”
Area schools and community-based antidrug organizations have strived to inform students of the dangers of drug use, as many local parents have also played a vital role in keeping their child on the straight and narrow.
One step to keeping a child on the right path is just being aware, Houze says.
“Get involved in their lives and watch for any changes in their behavior,” Houze states.
“Changes [such as] the kids they’re hanging out with, where they are going in the evening, a lot of those can be signs of possible drug abuse, but mostly just pay attention and be parents.”
