A 36-year-old woman faces drug and child endangerment charges after police say she overdosed on heroin while babysitting two young children, one of whom tried to revive her with techniques he told police he had seen on TV.

The incident happened about 4 p.m. on May 28 at Waterford at Riverchase Apartments. The woman, Victoria Nacole Newman, survived the overdose and was jailed Friday after Hoover detectives obtained three warrants against her, said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector.

Newman was caring for her nephews, ages 2 and 6. The 6-year-old boy found her unconscious and tried to wake her, Rector said. He also attempted CPR - chest compressions - that he said he learned from television. Still unable to wake her, he went to a neighbor's apartment to get help but no one was home.

The boy went back and sat on the porch until his mother got home. Rector said she called 911 after returning home, discovering Newman still unconscious, and realizing that her medical emergency was heroin-related.

Police realized Newman was the only adult caregiver for the children at that time, as the other adult was away from the apartment. Hoover Fire responded and took Newman to a hospital.

It's not clear how long the children's mother had been gone, but she told police she ran errands for 20 to 30 minutes. Officers found a small baggy of heroin, two baggies of crack cocaine and syringes, all in close proximity to Newman.

Police took Newman into custody Friday at a home in the 2400 block of Regent Lane. She is charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, chemical endangerment of a child and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked into the Jefferson County Jail, and released about 10 p.m. Friday after posting $20,300 bond.

"This case is yet another example of the destruction being caused by the heroin epidemic. This innocent 6-year-old boy was clearly the most responsible person present at this residence,'' Rector said. "He did everything he knew to do to try and help a family member that he cared about very much. But what if he or the 2-year-old had accidentally ingested the heroin or cocaine? What if he accidentally stuck himself with a syringe? What if something terrible happened to him when he left the apartment to find help? "

Rector said the community has to realize that the heroin problem is not going to get better next week or next month and probably not next year. "It also doesn't serve any productive purpose to blame this problem on someone else or some other community,'' he said. "We need parents, sisters, brothers and friends of addicts to step up and play a more active and aggressive role in the lives of those who are affected. We need church involvement; we need rehab organization involvement; we need medical community involvement; we need the court system involvement; we need 'people who care' involvement. "

It's frustrating to watch the trend during the past few years, Rector said. "Last week alone, our department responded to five overdoses, likely all related to heroin. One of those five died,'' he said. "People shouldn't be dying from injecting poison into their bodies. We need help. The police can't fix this alone."