Lewis County police arrest Green Hill incarcerated students in fentanyl bust
Lewis County law enforcement have arrested four incarcerated students, including one from Olympia, for allegedly scheming to bring fentanyl into their juvenile rehabilitation facility.
A 17-year-old student inmate nearly died at Green Hill School, a medium- and maximum-security facility in Chehalis, after overdosing on fentanyl in November, according to a Wednesday news release. The incident prompted a multi-agency investigation that led to the seizure of hundreds of pills.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested three incarcerated students at Green Hill School and booked them into Lewis County jail on Dec. 20, according to the release. A fourth incarcerated student was arrested on Wednesday.
During the investigation, JNET reportedly intercepted nearly 1,100 fentanyl-laced pills intended for the facility. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50-100 times stronger than morphine and often mixed with other substances, sometimes without a user’s knowledge.
Drug overdose deaths, including those caused by fentanyl, have been a matter of concern across the region. The Lewis County Coroner’s Office recorded at least 51 accidental deaths in 2022, 26 of which were drug overdoses, The Chronicle reported.
The Thurston County Coroner’s Office counted 150 confirmed and suspected deaths involving drugs in 2022, The Olympian reported. Fentanyl was involved in 107 of those deaths.
Lewis County law enforcement booked the first three arrested students on suspicion of second-degree conspiracy to commit violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, and second-degree conspiracy to commit introducing contraband.
JNET identified them as Rodney T. Strickland, a 23-year-old from Kent, Dajon J. Walker, a 21-year-old from Snoqualmie, and Cameron R. Miller, a 20-year-old from Olympia.
The fourth student was identified as Austin Glore, a 22-year-old from Auburn. JNET alleges this student was directly involved in the overdose of the 17-year-old student.
Glore was booked into Lewis County jail on suspicion of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
The investigation began on Nov. 27 when a 17-year-old inmate was found unconscious and unresponsive in his cell at Green Hill School, according to the release.
First responders transported the incarcerated student by ambulance to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Medical professionals reportedly determined the teen suffered a fentanyl overdose while in custody.
JNET investigators worked with Chehalis Police and Green Hill School staff to identify the origin of the fentanyl that affected the teen.
On Dec. 1, law enforcement seized nearly 1,100 fentanyl-laced pills. The release says most of the pills had an “M” and “30” imprint on opposing sides. A small number of pink pills reportedly had “M” and “15” imprints instead.
The investigation involved Centralia and Chehalis police as well as Washington State Department of Corrections and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Anyone with information related to this investigation may call JNET Detective Sgt. Tracy Murphy at 360-330-7614.
Resources
- Narcan, generically known as naloxone, is a medicine used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. The state Department of Health has a list of instructions and resources on its website, as well as a search engine to help people find naloxone near them.
- People struggling with substance abuse in Thurston and Mason counties may get help by contacting a Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization crisis line at 800-270-0041.
- Those in Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties may get help via the Recovery Navigator Program at Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization. People in crisis can contact Great Rivers at 800-803-8833.
- Washington residents in need of help for substance abuse or mental health concerns can call the Washington Recovery Help Line at 866-789-1511.
- Anyone experiencing a crisis can call 988 to reach a national lifeline.
- Education on how to prevent opioid overdose can be found at stopoverdose.org.
