CLERMONT, Fla. — A Lake County deputy, firefighters, and a suspect are being hospitalized after possibly being exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon, according to a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
- Four transported to hospital after possible fentanyl exposure
- A deputy began to pass out first after discovering narcotics
- 3 people transported to Lake County Jail, says LCSO
- Florida Boys Ranch Road shut down as authorities decontaminate scene
A deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a van with three people inside on Florida Boys Ranch Road near County Road 561.
During the stop, the responding deputy began to pass out after he discovered narcotics, said Fred Jones with the Sheriff’s Office. Another deputy quickly revived the deputy by administering Narcan.
When Fire Rescue arrived on the scene, two firefighters reportedly began to feel ill as well, and one of them had to be given Narcan. Brennan Dowling, 30, one of the people in the van, also eventually began to feel ill.
All four of the people exposed were transported to South Lake Hospital, and they have since been released.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is almost 50 times stronger than heroin. Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin, or you can accidentally inhale it.
It doesn’t take much to overdose either.
According to Jones, other deputies at the scene, along with passengers in the suspect’s car, were decontaminated by hazmat units.
Dowling, Stephanie Martin, 29, and Rebecca Wagner, 26, the three people in the van, were transported to the Lake County Jail. No word yet on the charges they're facing.
Florida Boys Ranch Road was shut down west of CR-561 while authorities worked to decontaminate the scene.