Missouri Man Found Unconscious In Car With Needle Stuck In Hand, 5-Year-Old Discovered In Backseat

Camden County, Missouri, police on Saturday found a 48-year-old man passed out in his car with a needle stuck in his hand with a 5-year-old child in the back seat.

The man, identified as John D Varvera of Gravois Mills, was found unresponsive with "a hypodermic needle sticking out of his arm,” the statement released by the county police said. The Camden County deputies rushed to Bear Paw Road on Saturday after getting information about a "male subject passed out in a vehicle with a 5-year-old child within the vehicle."

The deputies, upon further investigation, discovered suspected heroin and drug paraphernalia within the vehicle. Varvera was taken into custody once he became responsive.

“The child was taken into protective custody and released to Children’s Division,” the statement said. There was no information available about the relation between the child and the man.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office charged Varvera with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony first degree endangering the welfare of a child. He was denied bond.

"The Camden County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone that these charges are merely an accusation and these individuals remain innocent until proven guilty,” the statement concluded.

In a similar incident that took place in Auburn, California, on March 30, three people including the mother of an infant, identified as Cori Ovalle, were charged for drugging a 7-month-old baby. Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital reported to the police after the baby was hospitalized with a drug overdose.

The responding officers identified the grandmother of the child as Christine Hillebrandt, who after seeing "abnormal behavior" brought the infant to the hospital. The police immediately issued a search warrant to their home and discovered narcotics and drug paraphernalia there. The infant’s mother, grandmother and mother’s associate were taken into custody.

While all the three were charged with child endangerment, the infant’s mother was additionally charged with possession of narcotics. James Cresta, an associate of Ovalle, remained in jail while the mother and grandmother were bailed out.