Possible Fentanyl Exposure Sends Santa Rita Jail Guards To Hospital

DUBLIN (CBS SF) -- Two guards at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin were taken to a hospital Sunday after possible exposure to fentanyl, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

Around 11:45 a.m. Sunday, staff in the jail's booking center searched a woman who'd been arrested in Oakland and a female deputy allegedly found a dark substance, rolled into a piece of tissue, that did not appear to be consistent with commonly seen narcotics.

That deputy contacted a sergeant, and both staff members examined the substance while wearing gloves and taking other precautions, according to the sheriff's office.

A little later, the sergeant got sick and became incoherent. The deputy also started to complain of similar symptoms, and jail staff determined that they were consistent with exposure to an opioid.

They administered a dose of Narcan, also known as naloxone, to both the sergeant and the deputy and transported them to a hospital. They have since been released.

Jail staff are sending the narcotics in question to a crime laboratory for identification and analysis.