Woman allegedly uses heroin then crashes car with baby inside

LYNN – A Lynn District Court judge ordered a Salisbury woman held on $10,000 cash Monday after she told State Police she shot heroin 30 minutes before crashing her car on Route 1 in Saugus with her 1-year-old child in the backseat, who police say was not properly restrained.?This is clearly someone who put her addiction before the safety of her child, or anyone else on the road,” Assistant District Attorney Lisa Core told the judge during a bail hearing for Deanna Slate, 24, of 278 North End Blvd. in Salisbury.Trooper Peter Sherber wrote in an incident report that Slate admitted to shooting a “bag” of heroin about a half-hour prior to the crash, and said she had “bought it off some guy on the street.”Slate appeared “very drowsy, lethargic and carefree,” Sherber wrote. “I noticed she was smiling at times as her baby was being placed onto a backboard in the near vicinity.”Sherber filed a report with the state Department of Children and Families following the incident. The suspect?s baby was in “good” condition upon his arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to the report.Defense attorney Joseph Finn, of Lynn, argued that Slate had properly restrained the child, but that the impact had caused his carrier to come loose.?It was a serious impact. Somehow, it was dislodged,” he said.Finn told the judge that Slate was “concerned for the welfare of her child,” at the scene, and was “interrogated” by officers and became confused. He noted Slate?s criminal record is “limited” to one other charge of driving under the influence of drugs.Sherber determined Slate was driving a 1997 Toyota Camry down an on-ramp from Essex Street onto Route 1 North in Saugus when she collided with a Ford Explorer driven by a Lynnfield woman, which pushed the SUV into a Toyota Rav4 being driven by a Boston man. Slate then “abruptly swerved to the right,” colliding with a trailer attached to a MassDOT message board on the right side of the road.A witness to the crash told State Police she saw the infant, who turned 1 on Thursday, positioned “sideways” facing the passenger side window of the car, according to the report. She said the baby was buckled into a carrier, but that the carrier was not properly attached to the seat. She also said Slate tried to “reposition” the carrier before police arrived, according to the report.State Police charged Slate with child endangerment while operating a motor vehicle under the influence, reckless endangerment, OUI drugs, second offense and negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a car seat violation.Judge James LaMothe set Slate?s bail at $10,000 cash, and ordered her not to drive or use drugs or alcohol if she posts bail. Slate is currently being held at Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham. She is due back in court July 18 for a probable cause hearing.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].