Karen Suzuki is an Elyria mother who believes she had nowhere to turn in dealing with what she called "her son's addiction," so she called Elyria police and had him arrested.
Suzuki said she found her son, 28-year-old Michael Suzuki, unconscious in her Elyria apartment after her son used canned dust-off aerosol to get high.
She said her son's two young children — ages 1 and 4 — were left unattended in the home.
That's when she called Elyria police, who managed to revive the father of two and arrest him on charges of Child Endangering and Abusing Harmful Intoxicants.
Karen Suzuki told News 5 she believes she made the right move contacting police and is urging other parents dealing with child addiction issues to do the same if they feel they have nowhere else to turn.
"If people are going to ridicule you for turning your own kid in, I'll take it," said Suzuki. "Just to see him using it, and the visible state that he's in. He was twitching and shaking like he was having a seizure or something. it's really hard to watch."
Suzuki believes her son is addicted to inhaling canned air duster, which can deprive the user of oxygen and can render them unconscious.
Suzuki said it's an addiction that is ruining her son's life.
"He lost his job, he wrecked his car, then he lost his home," said Suzuki. "He had to pack up everything he owned, and bring two of his kids up here with me."
Suzuki said parents need to be aware of changes in the behavior of their children and look for cans of air duster in their homes.
"It is a big sign, there's no reason to have multiple cans of canned air in your house at all," said Suzuki. "If it comes down to it, you don't want to lose your son, so I'll do whatever I have to to help him. I've been doing it, but he's got to want it for himself."
Michael Suzuki's two children are in the custody of the Lorain County children services but are soon expected to be released to Suzuki's mother.
