Overdose video depicts probation response

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Kokomo Perspective on 06-06-2017 by Devin Zimmerman

Aside from law enforcement, perhaps the front line to fighting the drug epidemic in Howard County is housed in the basement of the local courthouse.

Every day the Howard County Probation Department deals with individuals in the throes of addiction, an issue that is taking lives at an accelerated rate locally this year. As such, the department is attempting to help with the issue, expanding its focus outside of the doors of the facility with its crowd-drawing Addiction Impact Panel. But within the courthouse, the dangers of addiction were recently on full display.

Just after the courthouse staff unlocked the front doors on Friday, April 28, to the building at 8 a.m., a woman who will remain unidentified made her way downstairs to the probation department. In a security video procured by the Kokomo Perspective, the woman can be seen twitching as she approached the probation department’s front windows, which opened into an entrance to probation department offices.

After a short period of time, Probation Officer Holly Becker made her way out to assist the woman. Then, while Becker spoke to her, the woman’s body gave out, and she convulsed as Becker caught her. The woman, it turned out, overdosed just feet from the probation department.

 

Read more and see the video here.