Neighbors Find Unconscious Woman Behind Avon Lake Home

AVON LAKE, OH — Two Avon Lake residents arrived home at about 5:45 p.m. last Wednesday to find a woman passed out in their backyard. The couple immediately called police.

The woman, a neighbor of the couple, was unresponsive in the backyard. When officers arrived, she was still slouched over the right arm of a chair.

The woman's breathing was shallow. An officer gave her 8 mgs of Narcan, the anti-overdose drug, delivered nasally. Avon Lake Fire then arrived on the scene. The woman was rushed to the Cleveland Clinic in Avon.

Lorain County has been the focus of a national program to stem the flow of opioids. That's because the narcotics influence has exploded in the area.

Lorain County had 39 heroin overdose deaths in 2014, 13 of which involved fentanyl. In 2015, that number jumped to 41 heroin deaths, with 20 involving fentanyl. Those two years paled in comparison to 2016, though. That years was one of the bloodiest overdose years in Lorain County history.

In 2016 there were 131 overdose deaths. In 2017, there were 132 overdose deaths.

The county was named to the S.O.S. program, which promotes greater cooperation between law enforcement agencies as they target drug traffickers. As part of the S.O.S program, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Justin Herdman, will coordinate with Lorain County prosecutors, Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely, Chief Cel Rivera of Lorain Police, Sheriff Phil Stammitti of the Lorain County Sheriff's Department, the DEA and the FBI. Additionally, another Assistant U.S. Attorney will be sent to each S.O.S. district to help prosecute drug crimes.

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