STRYKER, Ohio — Williams County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Lehman says seven people were taken to the hospital Sunday after fentanyl was found in the air ventilation system at the Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Training and Rehabilitation Center in Stryker.
The Williams County Sheriff's Department, Stryker Police Department and Bryan Fire responded to the facility on County Rd. 24/25 around 8:30 p.m.
Lehman said they received a call that juveniles at the facility became affected by something and collapsed.
After a search, response teams found a fentanyl release in the air ventilation system.
Seven people were affected: four juveniles and three staff members, according to the sheriff.
All seven were taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Information on their condition is not available.
The remaining juveniles at the facility were then transferred to the adult detention facility while crews investigated.
Lehman said they will remain at the adult facility, separated from the adult detainees until other arrangements can be made.
The Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Center “provides a safe and secure placement for delinquent youth who are being detained in accordance to a court order or pursuant to the laws of arrest,” according to their website.
On Monday, WTOL 11 spoke to a representative from Drug Abuse Response Team (DART), to learn exactly what the seven experienced when they were exposed to the dangerous drug.
"You gonna notice that the respiratory, or breathing, is gonna change in that person. So it becomes more shallow, it becomes lessened, to the point where there is possibly no breathing taking place at all," DART member Tamme Smith said. "You're gonna notice that the lips and nailbeds kinda start to turn blue and ashed. And of course, the last thing you're gonna notice is that person is unresponsive."
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