A second inmate overdosed Saturday at the Thurston County Jail, Sheriff Sanders says
A second female inmate at the Thurston County Jail has overdosed, according to Sheriff Derek Sanders and jail log information.
Sanders said it happened on Saturday.
“A corrections sergeant observed an inmate acting oddly and immediately called for medical,” he said in his post. “By the time the nurse arrived, the inmate was unconscious. CPR was performed for 10 minutes by our nurse and corrections staff, along with Narcan deployment.”
After the woman was stabilized at an area hospital, she was booked on new charges about 6 p.m. Saturday, jail log information shows.
The 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance in a correctional institution.
In the first overdose case, another woman in custody at the Thurston County jail needed to be revived by corrections deputies after a suspected fentanyl overdose March 17, according to the sheriff’s office and jail log information.
Deputies say the 35-year-old woman was found to be in possession of a substance believed to be fentanyl.
Sanders said in his post about the second overdose that a body scanner was used during the initial booking in an attempt to identify substances being smuggled into the jail.
“The new WAC Code (246-230-040) requires our scanner to operate at 1/8th of the old imaging power,” he wrote. “What used to come across in imaging as clear detection of foreign objects has now become messy, indiscernible blobs of mass during the booking process.
“While we recognize this change has been implemented to lower inmate exposure to radiation, the public should know that it comes with a decreased ability to intercept lethal drugs coming into jails across the state,” Sanders wrote. “The law went into effect in January.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM.
