Mother accused of passing out with child in car

A Port Jefferson Station mother is behind bars after police say they found her passed out in her car with heroin and her toddler in the backseat.

Police say they found Joan Beard, 31, unresponsive inside the car, which was parked at a gas station on Route 112 in Medford Saturday at around 7:30 p.m.

Beard eventually woke up and was arrested, police say. Prosecutors say officers found heroin in Beard's car and that she allegedly admitted to using heroin hours earlier.

Authorities say Beard's 2-year-old daughter, who is now with relatives, wasn't harmed. At Beard's arraignment, a judge said that she must stay away from her child. Child Protective Services had requested the order of protection.

Beard, who faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a controlled substance, is being held on $10,000 cash bail.