Woonsocket man faces charges after allegedly overdosing with child in car
NORTH SMITHFIELD — A Woonsocket man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly overdosed on prescription opioids in his car with a baby in the back seat.
Michael Krajczynski, 33, of 14 Fall St., is due to appear in Second District Court on Aug. 30 to answer a charge of cruelty to or neglect of a child, according to Detective Capt.
Tim Lafferty.
The charges come after an incident that occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on
Aug. 3, when police responded to a report of a possible overdose in a vehicle, according to Lafferty.
Police located a car matching the description provided to dispatch stopped on the side of the road near 445 Victory Highway – just north of Greene Street. When officers looked inside, Krajczynski was unresponsive.
“Michael was gurgling but then stopped,” police said in a statement.
In attempts to bring Krajczynski back from the brink, he was given one dose of Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid intoxication. But Krajczysnki’s condition appeared to deteriorate.
“Michael began to turn blue and appeared to stop breathing,” police said. “A second dose of Narcan was administered by the officers, and about this time North Smithfield rescue arrived on scene. North Smithfield rescue administered two more doses of Narcan and Michael then became conscious and alert.”
While first responders were busy attempting to save Krajczysnki’s life, a passenger in the vehicle did not escape their attention. A small child, about 18 months old, was strapped in a child-restraint device in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle. Police contacted the state Department for Children, Youth and Families, and the child was later released to the custody of its mother.
After being transported to Landmark Medical Center for an evaluation, Krajczynski responded to the police station the following day to provide a statement about what happened.
According to police, he told investigators he had taken two white pills “that he thought were OxyContin” while he was operating a motor vehicle with a child on board. After about 10 minutes, Krajczynski said he “began to feel strange” and decided to pull over. OxyContin is the brand name for a time-released form of the generic drug oxycodone, a highly addictive painkiller often likened to morphine.
Krajczynski told police he had been experiencing some shoulder pain but he did not have a doctor’s prescription for any medication to treat it. Police said he admitted that he “made a bad decision” about taking the pills and driving with the child.
Cruelty to or neglect of a child is a felony that carries up to three years in prison and a fine of $1,000, as well as potential custodial conditions involving the minor child and other safeguards. It’s likely Krajczysnki will face far less than the maximum, however, since he has no prior history of contact with law enforcement, according to the judiciary’s website.
Though the incident happened nearly a week ago, police just disclosed it on Tuesday, posting what was described as a “press release” to the NSPD’s Facebook page.