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Sheriff’s Department: Heroin/Benadryl mix sparked evacuation

Posted at 11:09 AM, Jun 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-15 11:09:31-04

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The Kent County Sheriff’s Department says the drug that sparked a partial evacuation of their facility last month was a combination of heroin and over-the-counter allergy medicine.

Det/Sgt Joel Roon with the Kent County Sheriff’s Department says it was a mix of heroin and Benadryl that a Wyoming Police Department Detective came into contact with on May 30.

The detective, who is part of the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, was performing routine tests on a substance believed to be an opiate of some sort at the Sheriff’s Department Building.

The detective began feeling ill while handling a powdery substance. The Sheriff’s Department evacuated and temporarily closed down part of their detective unit in their facility on Fuller Avenue NE.

The detective was immediately issued a dosage of Narcan and rushed to the hospital, where he was stabilized and later released.  Narcan is a drug that is administered in cases of opiate overdose; often a lifesaver for first responders.

A hazmat team responded and cleared the fourth floor, where the detective’s bureau is located, just hours after conducting air quality tests. It was the only floor of the building they shut down.

The detective has since returned to duty.