CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston woman faces 1 to 5 years in prison after being convicted Tuesday for overdosing on drugs while her young son was in the back seat of her car.
A 12-member panel deliberated two hours before finding Susan Nicole Adkins, 39, guilty of child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury or death.
Adkins was arrested after shooting herself up with heroine last summer. She had done so in her car with her 2-year-old son in his car seat. She passed out after the injection. The boy was not injured.
Prosecutors argued Adkins placed her son in a risky situation in a hot car in July on Charleston’s West Side. Defense attorneys said while Adkins’ conduct needed to be addressed she parked her car in such a way that it would be found if something happened to her.
Adkins, who remains free on bond, will be sentenced Feb. 7.