Fentanyl outbreak suspected in Shasta County Jail, four inmates overdose, one fatality confirmed

Shasta County Jail confronts a Fentanyl outbreak with four inmate overdoses, one resulting in death, prompting an investigation.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office has reported that four detainees are believed to have overdosed on fentanyl this week while they were in custody at the Shasta County Jail.

According to representatives of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, jail staff has responded to four suspected cases of fentanyl overdoses among detainees since December 12. Inmates who were afflicted were able to receive treatment with Narcan, which is a medication that is used to treat opiate overdoses.

On the other hand, the South Carolina State Police verified that the fourth inmate had been declared deceased. They have informed the next of kin, according to them. Officials have stated that the death took place on Tuesday, December 12th. They claim that Jonathan DeJesus Hurtado, who is 24 years old and hails from Shasta Lake, California, has been detained since October 15 due to infractions of his parole and warrants for failing to appear.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office believes that Hurlado passed away on Tuesday as a result of an overdose of fentanyl. Nevertheless, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office has stated that the Shasta County Coroner’s Office is looking into the cause of the death.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug that the Food and Drug Administration has approved for use as an anesthetic and analgesic, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration website. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.”

Information from the same website says that fentanyl’s effects on the body include euphoria, pain relief, and confusion, to name a few. Overdose, on the other hand, can cause stupor, coma, and respiratory failure that can lead to death.

Even though every person who is brought into the jail is subjected to a thorough check for contraband, the Sheriff’s Office has claimed that fentanyl may be easily concealed, and even trace amounts can be fatal.

The Redding Police Department and Shasta County Sheriff’s Office detectives are currently conducting an investigation to establish how the fentanyl was brought into the jail.

Source: https://krcrtv.com/news/local/fentanyl-outbreak-at-shasta-county-jail-one-inmate-dead-others-saved-by-narcan

https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl