Thurston County, WA officials investigate 2 fentanyl overdoses in jail
The Brief
Officials are investigating two suspected fentanyl overdoses in less than a week in Thurston County Jail.
Sheriff Derek Sanders says state laws force them to use body scanning technology on a lower level, allowing drugs to be more easily smuggled in.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - In less than a week, Thurston County Sheriff's officials said they dealt with two fentanyl-related overdoses within the jail.
On March 17, deputies administered three doses of Narcan and began CPR on an unconscious inmate before racing them to the hospital, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said they found what they believed was fentanyl on the inmate.
On March 22, sheriff's officials reported a second inmate overdosed on what was believed to be fentanyl. That inmate was also taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
What they're saying
"This is a never-ending war. It's a never-ending war to try and keep drugs out of the jail," said Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders.
Sanders told FOX 13 Seattle that inmates go to great lengths to bring drugs into jail. He said they have swallowed them, and recently, one inmate hid drugs in between layers of their skin.
According to Sanders, a new law went into effect this year that makes it more challenging to prevent drugs from getting into jail.
The sheriff's office uses a body scanner called "Intercept" made by Tek 84. Intercept uses x-rays to help determine if inmates are smuggling contraband.
However, Sanders tells FOX 13 Seattle the state's new law requires the sheriff's office to use the body scanner on a setting so low, law enforcement cannot get a good reading on what inmates may be hiding.
"It's [a] night and day difference, you know? Before, at the level of 2, you know, you're able to pick out things like a plastic baggie because they've got unnatural edges and things like that. Now, everything is just kind of a blown-out circle, and you know, you're kind of like, 'Am I staring at stomach gas or am I staring at a baggie full of dope?'" he said.
According to the Tek 84 website, the company that makes the Intercept Body Scanner, the technology is safe and FDA-regulated.
The Washington State Department of Health tells FOX 13 Seattle the rules that went into effect this year allow for the safe use of X-ray for the detection of contraband.
Officials with DOH say the new regulations also provide jails and prisons the opportunity to request to use a higher-dose machine.
The Source
Information in this story comes from original reporting by AJ Janavel, with details from the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
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