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Passed out driver in viral drug overdose photo gets jail time

EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (WKBN) – Two people at the center of a viral Facebook post published by East Liverpool police have entered pleas to charges filed against them.

James Acord, 47, and Rhonda Pasek, 50, both of West Virginia, appeared in court late last week.

Acord was convicted on child endangering charges and driving while impaired. He was immediately sentenced to nearly one year in jail.

Pasek, who was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, pleaded not guilty to child endangering charges and is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Pictures of the couple, who police say were unconscious due to a drug overdose, were posted on the East Liverpool City’s Facebook page.

The pictures were taken following a Sept. 7 traffic stop. An officer spotted Acord driving erratically along St. Clair Avenue. When officers approached the vehicle, Pasek was already unconscious and Acord passed out a short time later.

According to city officials, the pictures were posted to show the impact of the heroin epidemic in the area. The images have been shown on national news outlets as well as some media overseas.