ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — Four inmates at the Adams County jail were taken to the hospital Tuesday after a medical emergency that the sheriff's office said they suspect was a drug overdose.
Deputies administered Narcan and performed CPR and other life-saving measures to revive the women, who were unconscious when deputies arrived, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said it happened around 3:30 p.m. Three of the inmates were in the same housing unit. The fourth was found during checks that deputies were conducting to ensure no additional inmates were in need of medical help, the sheriff's office said.
All four inmates were taken to the hospital. The sheriff's office said on Friday that two were still being treated at the hospital and the other two were released and back at the jail.
Suspected fentanyl powder was found and collected as evidence, the sheriff's office said.
Once the medical incident was over, the remaining inmates in the unit were searched, decontaminated and moved to other housing areas. The housing unit was searched and professionally decontaminated with help from the Drug Enforcement Agency, deputies said.
If this was an overdose, the agency wants to figure out how the narcotics got into the facility.
"Although we are prepared for these incidents, this reminds us of the growing dangers of opioid exposure within our detention facility," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "The Adams County Sheriff’s Office takes the introduction of narcotics into our detention facility very seriously. We are constantly evaluating policies, procedures, and training to improve protocols for the safety of our staff and the inmates we serve. Our detention staff facility has previously trained on mass exposure and casualty incidents, and this is the first documented incident involving multiple inmates from the same exposure."
Last year, the sheriff's office told 9NEWS about its efforts to intercept drugs before they got to inmates through mail. At that time, deputies said narcotics were such a problem they were using Narcan on inmates nearly every day.
Last summer, jail detectives said most of the work of detection falls upon the facility's mail staff, who have to process hundreds of pieces of mail a day.
More 9NEWS coverage of Adams County:
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE FREE 9NEWS+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.