Man snorted heroin in SUV — with child in the backseat, cops say

2022 UPDATE: Bonaiuto completed drug treatment in 2017, so the drug court has dismissed the case and all charges. The clerk’s office gave him back his weapon permit.

Broward deputies say Robert Bonaiuto hosted a heroin-sniffing party Monday night with friends in his SUV. Also attending the party, but not participating: Bonaiuto’s 3-year-old child.

Bonaiuto, 38, of Davie was jailed on a one count of heroin possession and a count of child endangerment without great bodily harm.

Detectives say while staking out the 7-Eleven at 4800 S. State Road 7 (U.S. 441), they saw Bonaiuto pull his black Ford Expedition into the parking lot. They said they could see Bonaiuto, a man riding shotgun and a woman (who turned out to be four months pregnant) in the backseat taking turns putting a red straw up their noses. Also, they passed something between them before dropping items out of a window. Detectives say the litter later would be determined to be two small plastic bags with heroin residue.

As the other two passengers left the Ford, detectives descended on all three. The arrest affidavit says when asked to step out of the car, Bonaiuto admitted, “I can get you guys whatever you need, I just don’t want to go to jail. Man, I relapsed and started doing heroin again.”

He told the detectives the heroin was in a nearby Advil bottle. The bottle allegedly contained 10 small plastic bags with heroin residue. Three more bags of heroin were found in the SUV, cops said.

While all this unfolded, the 3-year-old remained in the driver’s side back seat. BSO summoned the child’s mother to take custody.

Last week, Miami authorities found a 2-month-old outside of a car next to the baby’s incoherent mother, who had a history of heroin use, according to reports. And earlier this month, police in Ohio released a photo of two adults overdosed on heroin with a 4-year-old in the backseat.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Man snorted heroin in SUV — with child in the backseat, cops say."