Officers, inmate transported to hospital after fentanyl exposure at Santa Barbara Jail
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Ten law enforcement officers and a person being booked into jail were taken to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after they were exposed to fentanyl.
It happened just after 1 p.m. at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on Calle Real.
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, a Santa Barbara police officer was transporting a person to the jail for booking after making an arrest.
Two police officers, the jail transport and eight jail guards were exposed to the drug outside the facility within the gated area, according to Raquel Zick, the sheriff's office public information officer.
None of the ten people who were exposed to fentanyl were symptomatic when they were taken to the hospital, Zick said. She said all eight people were transported to the hospital as a precaution, but none were hospitalized.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and paramedics assisted with the incident.
The method in which the officers and jail staff were exposed to the fentanyl was not immediately disclosed.
*The sheriff's office originally reported seven law enforcement personnel were exposed. The department later updated the number to ten. This story has been updated with the latest information.
