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Decatur Township creates coalition to stop drug abuse

Posted at 7:29 AM, May 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-19 07:29:23-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- People in Decatur Township on Indianapolis' southwest side formed a coalition Thursday to find a solution to the area's drug problem.

Kelly Ivey's niece Allison died a few weeks ago from a heroin overdose.

"She was a good girl," Ivey said. "Just a typical teenager, just like all the ones we know. Something you never would have dreamed she would have tried in the first place."

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Ivey doesn't want her daughter -- or anybody else's child -- going down that path. 

"We are trying to make those connections with the community, so that when someone needs help they come to us rather than waiting for us on a run," Decatur Township School Resource Officer Chase Lyday said. 

Like most parents at the meeting, Ivey said she'll do what she can to make sure kids make the right decision.

"It is personal," Lyday said. "Almost all of us know someone who has lost their life to an overdose or who is addicted to drugs has ruined their life by drug usage and choices that they have made."

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