VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two sheriff's deputies and two inmates were treated at a local hospital after they were exposed to an 'opioid substance' at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center Sunday morning.
According to a Tweet from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, the correctional center had to cancel inmate visitation on Sunday as a result.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office said that deputies went to help an unconscious woman in one of the facility's housing units around 8:30 a.m. They believed she had overdosed on some kind of opioid substance, so they administered CPR, oxygen and Narcan to the woman, alongside the jail's medical staff.
Soon after that around 9 a.m., another female inmate began to show opioid overdose symptoms and was given Narcan, the Sheriff's Office spokesperson said.
Both women were then taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital for treatment and later returned to the jail.
While providing medical attention to the inmates, the two deputies "were exposed to the substance" and "started to show symptoms of opioid exposure," according to the Sheriff's Office. They were also taken to the hospital and were treated and released.
All people involved are expected to be okay, and inmate visitation resumed normally on Monday.
The jail's female housing units were searched and disinfected, and the substance is being tested by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.
The sheriff's office provided no information about where the "suspected opioid substance" came from, saying the incident remains under investigation.
“We will get to the bottom of how this dangerous substance ended up in our facility and hold those responsible accountable,” Undersheriff Brian Struzzieri said in a statement.