Deputy and two firefighters hospitalized after fentanyl exposure

Clermont, Fla
– 
A Lake County deputy and two firefighters are recovering after being exposed to what is believed to be fentanyl during a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said. 

The deputy stopped the vehicle on Florida Boys Ranch Road near the intersection with County Road 561. 

During the stop, the deputy located narcotics in the vehicle and shortly thereafter began to pass out, officials said

Another deputy quickly administered Narcan, which revived the deputy, officials said. 

Firefighters arrived at the scene and two began to feel ill.

#BREAKING A Lake County deputy sheriff, two firefighters, and a suspect are recovering after the four were exposed to what is believed to be fentanyl during a traffic stop! Live coverage on #TV27at10 & #WFTVat11 @WFTV pic.twitter.com/VdO8AoJZl4

— Ken Tyndall (@KenTyndallWFTV) May 8, 2019

One of them was given Narcan as well. 

Then a man who was in the car also began to react to the drug. 

The deputy, firefighters and the man in the car were all transported to South Lake Hospital and are recovering. 

Several first responders, as well as other passengers in the vehicle, are being decontaminated, officials said. 

Three people — 30-year-old Brennan Dowling, 29-year-old Stephanie Martin, and 36-year-old Rebecca Wagner — were arrested at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

Fentanyl is becoming more prevalent in Central Florida, in fact, last year the number of overdose deaths rose by 20 percent. 

According to a WFTV Channel 9 special report there were 433 accidental drug deaths recorded in Orange and Osceola counties, and 265 of those involved fentanyl or a fentanyl analog.

That’s up from 204 fentanyl-related deaths in 2017, 81 in 2016 and 67 in 2015. 

On May first,  the Brevard County Sheriff’s office busted a drug ring and arrested more than 100 people.

The sheriff’s office said they seized more than 500,000 lethal doses of the drug, enough to kill everyone in Brevard County.

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about the Opiod crisis during the Brevard County press conference.

“We want to tackle this head on.” Gov. DeSantis said.

“We want to tackle this head on.” @GovRonDeSantis addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic with @BrevardSheriff #WFTV pic.twitter.com/dTU5W3JgUJ

— Melonie Holt (@MHoltWFTV) May 1, 2019

Meantime, FDLE Orlando issued a Public Notice stating that a deadly super pill has been found in Central Florida.

The notice says the pill looks similar to a prescription pain killer but contains what could be a lethal dose of fentanyl in only one pill. 

The notice says you should get all you prescriptions from a licensed pharmacy and urges parents to talk to their children about drugs.