7 hospitalized after fentanyl spreads through air vents at Ohio detention center
Four juvenile inmates and three wardens at an Ohio detention center were hospitalized late Sunday after fentanyl spread through air vents, according to officials.
The health alarm at Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Center in Stryker was sparked after some of the young inmates started collapsing, the Williams County Sheriff’s Office told WTOL.
After a search, response teams found fentanyl had been released in the air ventilation system, Deputy Jeff Lehman told the station, saying an investigation was still looking into how it got there.
The four juveniles and three staff members were all taken to a local hospital in stable condition, the deputy told WTVG.
The other juveniles were transferred to the adult detention facility, where they will remain separated from adult inmates while the health scare is fully investigated, the officials said.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is typically 50 times more potent than heroin and is the most common drug in overdose death, and inhaling the substance can have fatal consequences, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
