Heroin Junkies Pass Out in Moving Car with 4-Year-Old Daughter in Back Seat

St. Louis prosecutors yesterday charged George Stevenson, 32, and Diane Van Deusen, 31, with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia stemming from an incident last month in which they allegedly injected themselves with heroin and passed out as they drove down the street.

Van Deusen was further charged with endangering the welfare of the couple's four-year-old daughter who was in the backseat of the vehicle when she passed out behind the wheel. 

According to the probable cause statements against the two (viewable here), the couple purchased heroin October 13 outside a gas station in the 200 block of East Grand in north St. Louis -- just across the river from their hometown of Granite City. 

Van Deusen allegedly injected four pills of heroin and took four Xanax before attempting to pull out of the parking lot. A short distance away, the car came to a halt in a lane of traffic.

Witnesses approached the car and removed the child. According to those witnesses, Van Deusen was unconscious behind the wheel with a syringe in her hand. Stevenson, who was allegedly in a similar state in the rear of the car, later regained consciousness.

Witnesses say he threw a syringe to the ground and tried to remove Van Duesen from the driver's seat in order to flee the scene. Police arrested him before he could do so and allegedly uncovered five pills of heroin in his pocket. Police say additional syringes were found inside the vehicle, under the vehicle, and in Van Deusen's purse.