Kings County deputies investigate a possible drug overdose in county jail

During the course of the investigation, detectives determined. A suspect, Brittany Staggs, smuggled a substance believed to be Fentanyl into the Kings County Jail after her arrest and booking for warrants.

Deputies say Staggs is suspected of selling Fentanyl to three inmates in exchange for commissary items. Shortly after ingesting the Fentanyl, deputies say that all three inmates displayed symptoms of a possible overdose. Other inmates called for help, and detention deputies rushed in and provided medical aid, which included performing Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). They also administered multiple doses of Narcan until medical personnel arrived on the scene and transported all three inmates to Adventist Medical Center (AMC) in Hanford for treatment.

Without the quick response of the deputies and critical lifesaving efforts, the outcome could have been tragic, with the potential for the loss of life of multiple inmates. 

All three inmates say sheriff’s officials, made a full recovery and were later released from AMC and transported back to the jail.

Special-trained agents with the California Department of Justice responded to the Kings County Jail and performed a sweep of the affected cells and jail pod where the affected inmates were housed. No additional Fentanyl was located. The Lab Response Team also tested the substance recovered from Stagg's property which was positive for Fentanyl.

The suspect, Staggs, was initially booked into the Kings County Jail on several narcotics-related warrants on Sunday, Jan. 22. The suspect, Staggs, will face the following additional charges as a result of the incident: 11352 HS – sell, furnish, administer or give away a controlled substance, 11351 HS – possession of a controlled substance, with intent to sell and 4573 PC – bringing drugs into a secure facility (jail or prison), with potential additional charges to be added upon review by the Kings County District Attorney's Office.