Two Wabaunsee County deputies needed to be admitted to a hospital after suspected fentanyl exposure Monday.
Undersheriff Eric Kirsch says the deputies were in the process of making what he called a custodial arrest when the incident happened. Both deputies have since been discharged and are doing well.
Other details about Monday’s incident are currently pending.
Kirsch says deputies use all precautions during roadside incidents, but “it’s almost impossible to defend against a bag of unknown substance intentionally thrown into the wind in the vicinity of emergency service personnel.” He also says fentanyl and opioids are “indiscriminate killers.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there was a nearly 200-percent increase in fentanyl deaths just among 10- to 19-year-olds between 2019 and 2021. Fake pills were on hand in nearly 25 percent of those deaths.
Kirsch urges parents to use “extreme caution” when dealing with unknown substances involving their children.
