"Probation for mother who overdosed at Lawrence store with 2-year-old" by Andrew Grant Globe Correspondent April 28, 2017
A New Hampshire woman who overdosed on fentanyl while shopping in Lawrence with her 2-year-old daughter was placed on probation Friday after admitting that there was sufficient evidence to find her guilty of reckless child endangerment.
The case drew national attention when a cellphone video taken by a bystander went viral, showing Mandy McGowan passed out in an aisle at the Family Dollar on Winthrop Avenue last September as her daughter tried to wake her.
Related: Mother facing charges after allegedly overdosing while shopping with 2-year-old child
McGowan, 37, of Salem, N.H., admitted in Lawrence District Court that there were sufficient facts to find her guilty of endangerment after Judge Holly Broadbent denied her request to dismiss the charge, according to the Essex district attorney’s office.
The judge continued the case without a finding for two years and placed her on probation — meaning that the charge will be dismissed after two years as long as McGowan doesn’t violate any of the conditions set by the court.
The judge ordered McGowan to continue living at a sober house, remain in drug treatment, and comply with the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth, and Families.
She was also ordered not to use drugs or alcohol, to submit to random drug screenings, and to attend a minimum of three Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week.
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