One inmate at the Adams County Jail was back in the facility while three more were being treated for a suspected fentanyl overdose, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies found three female inmates unconscious and not breathing just after 3:30 p.m. August 22. Deputies and medical staff at the jail administered Narcan and gave the inmates CPR as paramedics from the Brighton Fire Department responded.

Jail staff began searching the housing unit the three were located in, isolating neighboring inmates while they were checked to find other potential affected inmates. A fourth inmate was found unconscious and not breathing during that search and a small amount of suspected fentynal powder was discovered. The fourth inmate was given Narcan and CPR as well and all four inmates were transported to the Platte Valley Hospital.

Once the medical incident was over, the remaining inmates were searched, decontaminated and relocated to other housing areas in the jail. All of the inmates in the contaminated housing unit were monitored by medical staff throughout the night by providing continuous medical and vital checks.

The sheriff’s department continues to investigate the incident and is working to decontaminate the housing block. Agents from the North Metro Drug Task Force and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency are working alongside them.

The incident also forced the jail to close its booking and receiving areas for two hours on August 22, delaying other police agencies in the area from bringing arrestees in.

One of the four inmates was released from the hospital while the other three remain hospitalized.

“Although we are prepared for these incidents, this reminds us of the growing dangers of opioid exposure within our detention facility,” Sergeant Adam Sherman with the sheriff’s Professional Standards Division said in a written statement. “The Adams County Sheriff’s Office takes the introduction of narcotics into our detention facility very seriously.”

The department is constantly reviewing and updating its protocols to deal with this kind of exposure, he said.

“Our detention staff facility has previously trained on mass exposure and casualty incidents, and this is the first documented incident involving multiple inmates from the same exposure,” Sherman said. “Once the situation was deemed safe, the incident was debriefed to all involved and later to all staff. Off-duty personnel came in early, on-duty personnel stayed late, and others took extra duties to assist with the incident and all the necessary follow-ups.”