GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A detective sickened while testing a white powder at the Kent County Sheriff’s Department was treated with Narcan as a precaution, according to Chief Deputy Kevin Kelley of the sheriff’s department.
It happened around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the agency’s building at 701 Ball Ave. NE in Grand Rapids.
The Grand Rapids Fire Department tells 24 Hour News 8 a Kent County sheriff’s deputy found the powder during a traffic stop Monday night. The substance was taken back to the sheriff’s department for testing.
“It made a fear of mine come true today. I’ve been talking about it, preaching about it,” said Lt. Al Roetman with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office says a Wyoming officer with the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team started feeling nauseous and his heart rate increase while testing the unknown substance. His symptoms were similar to those caused by a drug exposure, the sheriff’s department said.
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The detective was given the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan as a precaution and taken to a local hospital for blood tests, Kelley said. The officer is conscious and alert and his condition is improving, authorities said.
The detective bureau floor of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department was evacuated as crews responded to the call, but no one was forced out of the building. The substance has been contained and no other person was exposed, the fire department says. A hazmat team quickly tested the air, and found it safe for everyone to return to work.
Kelley said the officer’s blood test results will determine what the officer was exposed to.
He added that an internal investigation will be conducted to determine if the officer followed proper procedures when he was sickened.
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