Heroin addiction has caused an unprecedented surge in overdoses, deaths and crime in Sandusky County since 2013. Addicts, their families and law enforcement tell stories of lives ripped apart from heroin addiction.
First responders, recovering heroin addicts and law enforcement explain what physically happens during an overdose, reasons why overdoses happen, and resulting legal issues.
Bryce Williamson had a funny, sarcastic wit and a good heart. Although he became addicted to heroin, his family supported him through rehab and he was one year sober. Then, at 23, he used just one more time.
Officer Dustin Nowak responded to a call of suspected drug activity on the east side of Fremont. After he surprised a woman shooting up drugs in a vehicle, his life changed forever.
Detective Jason Kiddey of the Fremont Police Department educates residents how to identify heroin and other drugs by passing around examples confiscated by the police department at a Block Watch meeting.
Kyle Wyss, 31, of Fremont has been injecting drugs for the past 10 years. He lost everything to deep addiction, never held a job and lived under a bridge. Wyss has been to rehab multiple times. His longest break from using heroin had been five months. Until now.