Cops: Woman in Labor Asked Friend to Inject Heroin, Meth

Friend says woman was trying to inject herself
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 8, 2017 10:01 PM CST
Cops: Woman in Labor Asked Friend to Inject Heroin, Meth
This booking photo released Wednesday, March 8, 2017, by the Concord, N.H., Police Department shows Felicia Farruggia, arrested about six months after she had demanded to be injected with heroin and methamphetamine while in labor with her son in September 2016. The state took custody of the baby boy...   (Uncredited)

A woman in labor demanded a friend inject her with heroin and methamphetamine before firefighters arrived at their home and she gave birth while entering an ambulance, New Hampshire police said Wednesday. Police in Concord arrested Felicia Farruggia, 29, this week, about six months after her son was born, the AP reports. He is in state custody. Police also arrested Rhianna Frenette, 37, who is accused of giving Farruggia the drugs. They're charged with felony reckless conduct. Frenette also faces a misdemeanor count on the same offense. According to the affidavit, Farruggia said she started having contractions, went to the bathroom and lay on the floor. She asked Frenette to come in, as she was screaming and crying and said, "I can't do this," referring to the labor pain. She said Frenette had heroin and told her "it would take the edge off." She said she didn't stop Frenette from injecting her.

Police say Frenette used an unsanitary syringe to try to inject Farruggia at least once before she was successful. After that, Farruggia's boyfriend called 911. Shortly afterward, firefighters arrived, and Farruggia gave birth while entering the ambulance. But Frenette told police that when she went into the bathroom, she saw Farruggia trying to inject herself, essentially "mutilating herself with the needle," which broke. Frenette said she took a used needle provided by someone else and "shot out probably more than half" of the substance inside it before injecting the rest into Farruggia. Frenette told police she acknowledged that what she did was wrong, but believed that Farruggia would have injected herself with more of the drug, believed to be heroin, if she hadn't intervened. Frenette also said she herself was likely high on methamphetamine. The baby's urine tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine after birth. (More drug abuse stories.)

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