Inmate charged with smuggling fentanyl into jail, attacking officers

MERCER COUNTY, Ohio (WANE) – An inmate at the Mercer County Adult Detention facility has been charged with smuggling fentanyl into the facility, which another inmate reportedly overdosed on, and “violently” attacking two corrections officers in an attempt to escape days later.

On March 20, corrections officers responded to a housing area in the facility after an inmate – 22-year-old Joseph D. Meinerding – was found not breathing. Corrections staff administered CPR until Mercer County EMS arrived and took Meinerding to a local hospital, where he was given Narcan and revived, according to Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey.

Grey said an investigation found that 23-year-old Zequiel E. Ahrns had smuggled the drug into the facility when he was arrested and booked March 19. Ahrns, who was being held on counts of burglary and theft, has been charged with additional charges of Illegal Conveyance of Drugs on to the Grounds of a Detention Facility, two counts of Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs, and one count of Aggravated Possession of Drugs.

That’s not Ahrns’ only trouble.

On Monday, Grey said Ahrns “violently attacked” two corrections officers and took control of Tasers in an attempt to escape the facility. Celina Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and sheriff’s deputies responded to the facility and a corrections officer was able to convince Ahrns to put down the Tasers and he was detained, Grey said.

The two corrections officers, one male and one female, were treated by medical staff at the detention facility and then transported to a local hospital, where they were treated and released. They are currently on medical leave due to this incident, the sheriff said.

After that incident, Ahrns was charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of Robbery, one count of escape, and two counts of assault – all on top of the previous charges and the drug smuggling charges.

“Sometimes the public forgets the dangerous jobs that our corrections staff does in keeping violent individuals off our streets,” said Grey. “We are blessed with a very caring corrections staff, that puts their life on the line every day for our citizens, but still treats the inmates humanely and with decency.”