Toddler Found In Car With Used Syringes; Parents Face Charges
CHESTERTON, Ind. (STMW) -- Police stopped a driver for failing to use her turn signal, then allegedly discovered more than a dozen uncapped drug needles in the vehicle, a driver who was high, and a 1-year-old boy in the back seat.
The child's mother, Hannah Cavinder, 23, of Valparaiso, admitted shooting up with heroin about an hour before the traffic stop and removed a baggie of the drug from her bra, according to the police report. She was arrested on four felonies, including possession of a narcotic, possession of a hypodermic syringe, driving while intoxicated with a child present and maintaining a common nuisance, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The passenger and the boy's father, Kyle Lipnicky, 29, of the same Valparaiso address, was arrested on two felony charges — possession of a narcotic and possession of a hypodermic syringe — and two misdemeanors, visiting a common nuisance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
An officer made the traffic stop at 2:04 p.m. Saturday at Indiana 49 and Indian Boundary Road, after seeing the black 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe exit eastbound Interstate 80/94 without signaling, the police report said.
Police said a used syringe was clearly visible on the console when the officer walked up to the vehicle.
Sixteen syringes were scattered on the floorboard and in Cavinder's purse, police said, and more heroin was in two plastic baggies on the front passenger side of the vehicle.
A relative took custody of the 20-month-old.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)