EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (WKBN) – A young boy at the center of a controversial viral photo posted on the city of East Liverpool’s Facebook page has been placed in the custody of another family member.
Columbiana County Juvenile Court Administrator Dane Walton said the 4-year-old boy is in the custody of a great aunt and uncle who live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He said no other family members have come forward to take custody of the child after he was found in the backseat of a car with two passed out adults, believed to be under the influence of heroin.
The man in the photo, 47-year-old James Acord, has been convicted of child endangering and driving while impaired. He was sentenced to almost one year in jail.
The woman, 50-year-old Rhonda Pasek, is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a pretrial hearing.
Pictures of the couple, who police say were unconscious due to a drug overdose, were posted on the East Liverpool City’s Facebook page following a Sept. 7 traffic stop. An officer spotted Acord driving erratically along St. Clair Avenue. When officers approached the vehicle, Pasek was already unconscious and Acord passed out a short time later.
According to city officials, the pictures were posted to show the impact of the heroin epidemic in the area. The images have been shown on national news outlets as well as some media overseas.