‘My Whole Skin Was Burning’: 2 Officers Use Narcan After Potential Exposure To Fentanyl

Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies face danger every day on the job, but recently two deputies came in direct contact with a deadly drug. The deputies were possibly exposed to Fentanyl while serving eviction papers, according to Sheriff Tommie Johnson.

“He’s like I’m really burning all over and I said, ‘my forehead is getting an odd feeling,’” said Deputy Melody Norton, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Moments before that strange feeling came over Deputies Alfredo Correa and Norton, they were serving eviction papers at an apartment complex in Midwest City. The tenant being evicted was still in the apartment.

“You could see needles all over the floor, drug paraphernalia,” said Deputy Alfredo Correa, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. “The apartment smelled a little bit funky, like a chemical smell.”

Dealing with citizens living in unhealthy conditions is part of the job.

“This job is extremely dangerous. It doesn't matter where you’re at in the agency, anything you do in the community is dangerous,” said Sheriff Tommie Johnson, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. “Especially when you’re dealing with the substances we’re dealing with today. Some being transdermal. Obviously if you ingest any it can just be deadly.”

For that reason, deputies doing eviction lockouts do not go alone. This time Correa and Norton had to help each other when they realized they were exposed to something dangerous. 

“I was nauseous, my whole skin was burning, tingling in the face,” said Correa. “Kind of sweating, breathing pretty hard. At that point, I asked if she had Narcan.”

Correa said the Narcan took effect almost immediately. The deputies were taken to OU Medical Center for a medical check and a blood draw.

“When seconds matter, you definitely want to be under their care,” said Johnson.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is testing the blood work. Sheriff Johnson expects results to come back in a couple of weeks.