It's heartbreaking news that some people said could have been avoided.
A young man was found dead in his car outside the Daniel Boone Inn & Suites in Franklin County. Now, another man is under arrest. Joshua Day is accused of covering the victim's body with a sheet, stealing his cell phone and keys, and removing remaining heroin the two had used from the car. Police say it was an effort to avoid getting caught with drugs, which is frustrating news for some drug recovery activists.
Chad Sabora from the Missouri Network for Opiate Reform & Recovery wants to remind everyone of the 911 Good Samaritan Law, which went into effect in August. It means, if you call 911 to report an opioid overdose, you would be protected from arrest and prosecution.
The problem is, because it's so new, not everyone knows it exists. We may never know if Day was aware of this law when police said he left the young man in the passenger seat and took off, but Sabora and his organization are trying to reach as many other people as possible.
They try to explain the law every day to everyone they meet. Once a month, they also pass out flyers. Early next year, they plan to put up billboards that say, "Don't run. Call 911."
"We are raising some money to put up billboards but we do our best via news outlets, via social media, via word of mouth with people that come into our office for services that are actively using, to let them know this law exists," Sabora said.
They also have a petition asking the Federal Department of Transportation to allow the billboards to go up in order to educate the public and potentially save lives.
