Sheriff’s Office drug arrests continue, Fentanyl overdose saved by Narcan

The gold star for hard work this week goes to Murray County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Deputy Percero. A man, in the United States “illegally” is now one of two men in a few months arrested for trafficking by deputies at MCSO. K-9 Percero assisted the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in taking drugs and cash off the highways. Lighthorse and MCSO assisted in a Fentanyl overdose emergency call that ended with positively because law enforcement administered Narcan.
Deputy Brandon Eddy and Undersheriff Jay McClure were on routine patrol and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for rules of the road violations on north Highway 177 on Feb. 2.
Undersheriff McClure spoke with male driver after stopping the car and asked for all pertinent information to conduct the traffic stop. Deputy Eddy observed K-9 Percero during an “open-air sniff” around the vehicle. It wasn’t long unil lawmen noticed K-9 Percero was detecting an odor of a narcotic. Deputy Mike Woods and Deputy Ben Flowers arrived to assist after the positive indication by Percero.
Once a search of the vehicle started, Deputy Eddy and Undersheriff McClure located small bags that contained a crystal substance thought to be methamphetamine. These were among several bags of suspected methamphetamine found during the search that later field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Deputy Flowers located a substance that field tested for cocaine inside the vehicle.
After the field test the driver, who was identified as Edson Escoedo, was arrested for trafficking in methamphetamine and transported to the Murray County Jail. Escoedo is from Mexico and is illegally in the United States.
According to Sheriff Darin Rogers, this is the second subject in several weeks the Murray County Sheriff’s Office has arrested for trafficking in methamphetamine. “It appears both of the subjects came from outside our county and were bringing the substance into our community. The Murray County Sheriff Office will continue to search out and arrest people who deal, maintain houses where drugs are sold, kept, and distributed, and traffic in methamphetamine,” said Sheriff Rogers. “Subjects who are involved in this activity should face very serious consequences.”
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Francisco Valdez ask for the assistance of Deputy Eddy and his K-9 partner Percero on Jan. 25. Trooper Valdez asked Deputy Eddy to conduct an open-air sniff around a vehicle that was stopped for a rule of the road violation. K-9 Percero indicated that the vehicle had an odor of narcotics. A search of the vehicle produced marijuana and $20,000.
The money and other evidence were seized, and reports will be sent to the District Attorney’s office for review.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to a residence for a possible overdose on Feb. 8. Deputy Flowers and Lighthorse Officer Terry Laxton responded to the call. Deputy Flowers noticed signs of an overdose and learned it possibly was from Fentanyl. The subject’s lips and eyelids were blue from the lack of oxygen. A faint pulse was located but the subject was not breathing.
Deputies from the Murray County Sheriff’s Office now carry the lifesaving drug Narcan (Naloxone) in their patrol vehicles. Deputy Flowers was able to administer Narcan to the subject. Lighthorse Officer Laxton also had Narcan in his possession and a second dose was administered to the subject.
After the Narcan was administered, the subject started to breathe on his own.
According to Sheriff Rogers, Fentanyl is a very deadly narcotic is starting to show up in our county. “It appears due to the southern border not being secure, Fentanyl overdose deaths have set a record in the United States. Also, methamphetamine is now flowing into the United States from Mexico,” Sheriff Rogers said. “The county has recently had overdoses from both powerful narcotics.”
Undersheriff McClure contacted county pharmacies asking about Narcan. “If you are prescribed an opiate pain medication talk to your doctor and see if they will prescribe Narcan as well. It’s possible if Narcan is prescribed by your health care provider insurance possibly would cover all or most of the cost,” said Undersheriff McClure. “The more Narcan we have in households will mean more lives saved from opiate overdoses.
Most overdoses are accidental and that is why Narcan should be present in any household where opiate based medications are used or if a family member has an addiction to opiate pain medications such as Fentanyl.
If a member of a household has opioid pain medication and young kids are present it could save the child’s life if they consumed the medication. Even if you don’t have a prescription for Narcan but have insurance, you should contact your local pharmacy and see if its covered.”
Sheriff Rogers believes his deputies have administered Narcan to 5 people over the last 18 months and was able to save their life.
Sheriff Rogers would like to thank the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics for their assistance in the control of the surge illegal narcotics in the county. Sheriff Rogers said the assistance of the Bureau of Narcotics the Sheriff’s Office has been more effective in the enforcement of illegal narcotics in the county.