Three members of the Marion County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office were treated for suspected exposure to the drug fentanyl Saturday after they arrested two people from California who were “passed out” in a vehicle in a local parking lot.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy found Brandy Petty and Chad Bimitross, both of Long Beach, inside a vehicle at a local business, Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett said in a statement. Officers on the scene suspected they were under the influence of an intoxicant, Burnett said.
“After Petty was placed into a Marion County patrol car, it was determined that she had busted up several bags of white powder that were previously hidden on her person,” Burnett said. The California pair were taken to the Marion County Justice Center in Jasper, Tennessee, for processing, he said.
“During the booking process, the arresting deputy, as well as two corrections officers, were overcome by a suspected exposure to fentanyl and had to be rushed by other officers and deputies to Parkridge West [Hospital] emergency room for treatment,” Burnett said.
During a search of the California pair’s vehicle, deputies allegedly found a firearm and an assortment of controlled substances including suspected methamphetamine, heroin, prescription pills, marijuana and other unidentified substances, he said.