Used needles found strewn along Weiss Field in Avon Lake

AVON LAKE — Numerous hypodermic syringes recently were found along Webber Road next to Weiss Field, leaving residents questioning if efforts to battle heroin addiction have stagnated.

CHRONICLE PHOTO
Lisa Goodwin and Jim Coyne of Assist Avon Lake stand at Weiss Field in Avon Lake where numerous needles have been found in recent weeks.

Jim Coyne and Lisa Goodwin, co-founders of Assist Avon Lake, were at the forefront of the heroin epidemic in 2013 when seven Avon Lake residents died of overdoses. The volunteer group is committed to raising awareness, promoting resources and encouraging community involvement in the battle against opiate addiction,

Coyne’s close friend died of an overdose around the same time and it was through his friend that Coyne decided more people needed to start speaking out.

Coyne said prior to his friend’s death he learned that people are shooting up heroin all over the place: grocery store parking lots, fast food restrooms and in parked cars.

For a while it seemed like Avon Lake residents were coming together to address the problem, Coyne said, with numerous people heading to forums and families no longer ashamed to talk openly about a loved one’s addiction.

People seemed to be seeking help, Coyne said, and the city administration and police were all on board with efforts to talk about heroin use.

So Coyne said it was more than disheartening when he found four syringes on the road and grass along Weiss Field, and one closer to playground equipment in the parking lot, as he walked his dogs shortly after Christmas.

Not thinking about it he threw the syringes away and then called police, who told him he should have contacted them so the syringes could have been properly disposed of. Police also told him they could have tested the syringes for heroin.

Later in January, two more syringes turned up near Weiss Field, found by other residents, and this time the syringes were turned in to police. Although these syringes were sent to the Bureau of Criminal Identification, testing was never done because a syringe will only be tested by BCI if it is connected to a crime, something police Chief Duane Streator confirmed.

Police also told Coyne the additional syringes found were not the kind generally connected to heroin use. Goodwin said it seems highly unlikely that those using syringes for medical reasons would simply toss them out a car window so close to a park.

“Someone working in the medical field or using syringes responsibly is not going to dispose of them improperly,” Goodwin said. “I just don’t buy that.”

Coyne was also told by the city administration to hold off on putting anything about the syringes on the Assist Avon Lake website so police could investigate the situation, monitor the park and possibly determine if people were using heroin in the park.

The whole situation left Coyne and Goodwin feeling as if city officials who had been outspoken in bringing the heroin epidemic into the light were now trying to downplay that heroin is still a problem in the lakeshore community.

“It almost felt like we were being viewed as a nuisance for trying to convey that this is the responsibility of all of us to work together to find a solution,” Coyne said.

Mayor Greg Zilka, who has been outspoken in talking about heroin use in Avon Lake, said this couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, the recent finding of syringes highlights the need for more to be done to combat addiction, he said.

The only reason Coyne was asked to hold off on telling people about the syringes was so police could fully look into the situation and not tip off anyone using heroin at Weiss Field, Zilka said.

Zilka said heroin-related deaths in Avon Lake seem to have lessened since 2013, with only one drug-related death last year. However, this doesn’t mean there is no longer a problem because many people are now being saved by overdose drug Narcan, he said.

“It’s absolutely alarming,” Zilka said of syringes popping up in various locations throughout the city. “I’m not saying in any way our problem in Avon Lake is abated. There is still a huge problem out there.”

Streator said police continue to monitor Weiss Field, one of the most visited in the city with its baseball fields and dog and skate parks, and he said finding that many syringes in one area is definitely a red flag.

Streator said additional syringes were found at the end of January along Walker Road and police were again called to collect them. Police usually only receive scattered reports of single syringes in tree lawns, he said, and finding multiple syringes in a single area like Weiss Field is unusual.

Although it is impossible to know who is tossing syringes, Streator said it is probably best to err on the side of caution and assume that the syringes are connected to heroin use.

At the same time, Streator maintains that many of the smaller syringes found in recent weeks aren’t the same kinds that police typically find during heroin investigations, although Goodwin said addicts will use smaller syringes to shoot heroin between toes and fingers.

But Streator said it is also unusual for drug addicts to toss syringes, which aren’t readily available, because without syringes they can’t shoot up. The recent finds near Weiss Field are perplexing, he said.

Streator said the whole situation highlights several things. Used syringes, no matter how they were used, pose public health threats and residents should always call police to collect used syringes found for proper disposable.

Reporting such finds will also enable the police to track where syringes are being found in the city which could lead to a greater knowledge of areas of increased drug use, Streator said.

“If people just throw them away how can we know whether we have a problem in a certain area?” he asked.

And Zilka said more people like Coyne and Goodwin are needed, those who are willing to face the heroin problem and speak against it rather than letting the momentum that was built in 2013 fizzle out.

“Because of people like them we might be able to continue making some headway on this problem,” Zilka said.

Coyne said talking about heroin use in any community isn’t meant to depress people or make a city look bad.

“People can say this is bad for Avon Lake,” Coyne said. “But in a number of years I think we’ll look back and say we’re glad we dealt with this issue and talked about it.”

Anyone who finds syringes should call Avon Lake police at (440) 933-4567.

Those seeking more information about Assist Avon Lake can visit assistavonlake.org, and those in need of immediate drug addiction services should call the 24-hour crisis hotline provided by Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services at (440) 277-8190.

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