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Mom in overdose case still in jail

Jessica C. Widner, 28, has been charged with child cruelty.
Jessica C. Widner, 28, has been charged with child cruelty.
By Gracie Bonds Staples
Nov 11, 2017

A 28-year-old Snellville mom was still in jail late Saturday after store employees found her with a needle in her arm on the bathroom floor of the Kroger on Scenic Highway in Snellville, police said.

Her 18-month-old son was crying nearby in a child safety seat when the woman was found in the store earlier this week.

Jessica C. Widner, who was charged with child cruelty, is the most recent apparent example in a growing heroin problem in the suburbs.

A recent CDC study found heroin caused more overdose deaths that any other drug and the number of heroin-related deaths in 2015 tripled that of 1999.

ExploreTo read more of her story and what experts say is behind the growing drug problem, click here.

About the Author

Gracie Bonds Staples is a freelance writer for AJC.

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