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Elyria mother arrested after being found unconscious in car with small child unattended

Amber Nettles faces several charges, including possession of fentanyl and child endangering.

ELYRIA, Ohio — An Elyria woman is facing several charges, including felony possession of fentanyl, after being found unconscious behind the wheel of her car with a small child left unattended.

According to a report from the Elyria Police Department, officers were called to the 800 block of Boston Avenue at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning in reference to an adult female being "passed out" in a vehicle with a small child inside. Police arrived to find 33-year-old Amber Nettles unconscious in a blue Nissan Versa parked angled near a driveway. She was still behind the wheel, but her head was lying in the passenger seat. No child was present in the vehicle when officers arrived on the scene. The child, who was observed as having walked up and down a neighbor's driveway by the person who had called police, was with the caller once officers showed up. 

Members of the Elyria Fire Department and Lifecare Ambulance arrived, put the vehicle in park and administered Narcan to Nettles. The child was left in the care of his grandmother, who indicted to police that her daughter had struggled with drug use in the past. 

While Nettles was taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center, police examined the Nissan and discovered a glass pipe and other drug paraphernalia, along with "a gray, rock-like, powdery substance" that was later confirmed to be fentanyl. Nettles admitted to police that she ingested narcotics, but she had been clean for 70 days prior after having left a residential sober living facility. 

Nettles faces the following charges:

  • Possession of fentanyl
  • Child endangering
  • Possession of "drug abuse instruments"
  • Operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs
  • Driving under license forfeiture suspension

Police sent a report to the Lorain County Children's Services for review. In the meantime, Nettles is due in court on Wednesday. 

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