ROCK HILL, S.C. — Jennifer Leonard said her friend, Aimee Savage, looked absolutely fine on Friday when she agreed to watch the three young children while Leonard ran out to the store to get something to drink.
When she got back Savage had passed out behind the wheel of her car and her 4-year-old daughter was frantic.
“Her daughter just ran out there and was freaking out, like, mom! Mom! Mom!” Leonard said.
“I came out, and saw her upset and crying,” a neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
The neighbor said that they managed to wake Savage up get her into an apartment and call police.
“Then when our officers approached her and tried to figure out what was going on, she was passed out in the apartment again.” Rock Hill police Capt. Mark Bollinger said.
Paramedics used Narcan to bring Savage back.
Bollinger said Rock Hill police began issuing Narcan, a drug to counteract overdoses, to all officers about a month ago.
This afternoon savage answered the door at her home, but quickly ducked back inside without commenting when Channel 9 asked her what happened.
She's now facing drug and child neglect charges, but police and her friends said her problems run much deeper.
“I love her to death and I hope she gets what she needs because what she's doing ain't gonna cut it,” Leonard said.
“Who knows what could've happened to her four year old child running around in the parking lot,” Bollinger said.
“Yeah, it's really scary. I trusted [Savage] to sit here with my children for two minutes while I went to the gas station to get them something to drink and come back and, you know,” Leonard said.