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.

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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