Anthony
Super Moderator
A 37-year-old father and his 4-year-old son have been hospitalized with suspected heroin overdoses, according to the Redmond Police Department.
Police said they believe Eric Emil Lehtinen injected his son with heroin on the day his divorce from his wife was finalized, in an attempt to kill the boy with an overdose.
The Washington man is accused of repeatedly injecting himself and his young son with heroin and a cocktail of other drugs, among them ketamine, morphine and codeine.
Lehtinen's Redmond, the boys’ mother came to pick him up she discovered her son and husband unconscious, but still breathing.
The mother took off a blanket from the little boy to find a syringe apparently filled with drugs on his chest, court documents say.
Police arrived to the house and found drug paraphernalia at the scene and they believe the dad is responsible for injecting his son with heroin, according to authorities. Both Lehtinen and the son were rushed to the hospital.
The four year old is still recovering at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Lehtinen is now out of the hospital and in jail. Police have charged him with attempted murder in the first degree.
Prosecutors believe Lehtinen was trying to kill the boy and himself with drugs, but failed.
"We are treating this as a possible assault, under the assumption that maybe someone else injected the 4-year-old with heroin," Lt. Charlie Gorman with the Redmond Police Department says.
Court documents reveal Lehtinen had a history of drugs use and overdoses. In 2005, authorities had him involuntarily committed to a hospital after he allegedly cut himself with a pair of scissors and threatened to kill himself while he was withdrawing from heroin.
“In 35 years as a police officer I’ve never run across anything like this.†Gorman said.
If Lehtinen is convicted of the charge, he could be facing at least 15 years in prison.
Police said they believe Eric Emil Lehtinen injected his son with heroin on the day his divorce from his wife was finalized, in an attempt to kill the boy with an overdose.
The Washington man is accused of repeatedly injecting himself and his young son with heroin and a cocktail of other drugs, among them ketamine, morphine and codeine.
Lehtinen's Redmond, the boys’ mother came to pick him up she discovered her son and husband unconscious, but still breathing.
The mother took off a blanket from the little boy to find a syringe apparently filled with drugs on his chest, court documents say.
Police arrived to the house and found drug paraphernalia at the scene and they believe the dad is responsible for injecting his son with heroin, according to authorities. Both Lehtinen and the son were rushed to the hospital.
The four year old is still recovering at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Lehtinen is now out of the hospital and in jail. Police have charged him with attempted murder in the first degree.
Prosecutors believe Lehtinen was trying to kill the boy and himself with drugs, but failed.
"We are treating this as a possible assault, under the assumption that maybe someone else injected the 4-year-old with heroin," Lt. Charlie Gorman with the Redmond Police Department says.
Court documents reveal Lehtinen had a history of drugs use and overdoses. In 2005, authorities had him involuntarily committed to a hospital after he allegedly cut himself with a pair of scissors and threatened to kill himself while he was withdrawing from heroin.
“In 35 years as a police officer I’ve never run across anything like this.†Gorman said.
If Lehtinen is convicted of the charge, he could be facing at least 15 years in prison.
