You probably don't expect to see needles and syringes on the ground when you go for a walk in the park, but an Avon Lake resident said he found them and believed they could tied to drug use.
Jim Coyne told newsnet5.com he found four syringes near Weiss Field while on a walk one day. He said he was in disbelief.
"It's shocking," he said.
Coyne believed they may have something to do with the rising heroin problem in Northeast Ohio, where communities, like Avon Lake, continue to face more issues related to the drug.
Assistant Chief John Rogers, with Avon Lake's Fire Department, said they've seen an uptick in recent years.
"Heroin overdose and heroin usage and abuse has been on the increase," Rogers said.
Coyne told newsnet5.com he reported the incident to Avon Lake police. He's hoping they can keep a closer-eye and make sure dangerous materials aren't near the city's parks.
"Steps have to be taken to make sure that it's not right there where kids would be walking, playing baseball or walking their dogs in the dog park," Coyne said.
A few years ago, after losing friends to overdoses, Coyne started the organization "Assist Avon Lake" to target the growing drug problem.
"Assist" aims to educate the community and prevent drug abuse and addiction.
newsnet5.com asked Avon Lake police how they're addressing needles being found near the park, feet from a playground.
Sgt. Reed Reikowski said they're tackling it head-on;
"We're not ignoring it, we're attacking it from every angle we are able to attack it from," Reikowski said.
The police can't confirm, or conclude, that the needles were used for heroin, but Sgt. Reed Reikowskit said they're on top of it and making sure all the parks in the city are safe.
"Our police are always in the parks, they're on patrol 24 hours a day seven days a week," he said.
Avon Lake police haven't had another complaint about needles or syringes being found in local parks, but they have a message for you if you find one--call police. Handling needles can be incredibly unsafe and officers are trained to properly dispose of them.
If you're looking for more information on issues related to heroin and addiction, "Assist Avon Lake" will host a forum in a few months at the Avon Lake Public Library on April 26 at 7 p.m.
