Lives Saved After String of 3 Overdoses in Olmsted County Jail

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office held an awards ceremony last week to present commendations and officially welcome the newest additions to the law enforcement agency.

Sheriff's Office Awards Ceremony

Dozens of people were honored during the event, including a number of Olmsted County Sheriff's Office employees and private citizens who were recognized with life-saving awards. During his regular monthly appearance on the Rochester Today Show with Andy Brownell on News-Talk 1340 KROC-AM and 96.9 FM, Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson highlighted some of the honorees, including members of the Adult Detention Center staff for their actions in saving the lives of three men detained in the facility over a span of less than an hour last summer.

Listen to the entire interview by clicking on the link below.

Detainee's Medical Condition Was Crashing

Sheriff Torgerson says it all began around 10 p.m. on the night of August 28. He described how Deputy Stephen Spearman found one of the detainees unresponsive in the dayroom area of one of the jail’s units and noticed that the man appeared to be experiencing a medical emergency. The deputy requested assistance, receiving help from Sergeant Maja Donahue, Deputy D’Angello Williams, and nurse Megan Marquez.

Fentanyl Smuggled Into Jail

Soon after, it was determined that the detainee was exhibiting symptoms of a possible opioid overdose, and jail staff learned that fentanyl had been smuggled into the unit. As the man's medical condition quickly deteriorated, the decision was made to administer Narcan. The man's condition began to improve as a Mayo Clinic Ambulance crew arrived and transported him to the hospital.

A Second Overdose

According to the sheriff, less than 15 minutes later, Deputy Spearman heard a cry for help coming from a cell and found another detainee on the floor and unresponsive. The same group of deputies and the nurse quickly sprang into action and delivered a dose of Narcan, while Sergeant Donahue and Deputy Spearman provided rescue breaths before the man regained consciousness and was transported to St. Marys Hospital.

And Then a Third

Then, about five minutes after the second overdose victim was taken out of the jail by an ambulance crew, a third man in the unit began exhibiting symptoms of a drug overdose. He was treated by nurse Marquez and then transported to the hospital.

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Sheriff Torgerson says an investigation determined the fentanyl had been smuggled into the facility by a person concealing the drugs deep within a body cavity, preventing detection during a search. The incident required an extremely intensive cleaning of the entire unit to ensure no additional contraband remained.

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