sbsheriff
By the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The quick actions and lifesaving efforts of Custody Deputies at the Northern Branch Jail have resulted in the reversal of two inmate overdoses, but sadly, one inmate was beyond resuscitation. On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at approximately 9:06 p.m., Custody Deputies were alerted by another inmate that their cellmate in D Unit was unresponsive. Custody Deputies quickly responded to the cell and found the unconscious inmate, lying on the ground and turning blue. Custody Deputies radioed for Wellpath medical and began life-saving measures including two rounds of Naloxone. When Wellpath medical arrived, they gave the inmate two more rounds of Naloxone and continued lifesaving measures while County Fire and American Medical Response (AMR) was enroute. When AMR arrived, the inmate had become conscious and was transported to an area hospital for follow-up care.
Hours later, on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at approximately 1:45 a.m., Custody Deputies were again called to D Unit for a medical emergency where they found an unconscious inmate. As they began lifesaving measures, they cleared the cell of the remaining occupants, and in the process found an additional unconscious inmate. While County Fire and AMR were enroute, Custody Deputies administered seven rounds of Naloxone to the first inmate and performed CPR. When AMR arrived, they continued thorough live saving measures, but were unable to revive the inmate who was pronounced deceased at approximately 2:20 a.m.
The additional inmate was administered six doses of Naloxone by Custody Deputies along with CPR. He eventually regained consciousness and was transported to an area hospital for follow-up care.
Although this death appears to be an apparent overdose, the Sheriff’s Office is conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident. The Sheriff / Coroner’s Office will conduct further investigation to determine the cause and manner of his death. The decedent is identified as 37-year-old Edgar Mescua Estrada, also known as Edgar Estrada Amezcua from Santa Maria. He was arrested on May 5, 2022, by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for 69 PC- obstructing a peace officer (felony), 273.6(a) PC- violation of a domestic violence restraining order (misdemeanor) and 11377(a) H&S- possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor), with a felony violation of probation hold for a previous conviction of 273A(a) PC-child cruelty. He was being held without bail.
Sheriff Brown said, “Sadly, today’s jail overdoses and death appear to be the result of an illicit opioid, probably fentanyl, proving that this scourge upon our community and our nation extends to even the most secure area of our county. We will be conducting full criminal and administrative investigations, and a review of our protocols to keep contraband out of our jails, but this tragedy also reinforces our need to work together as a community to address the vexing problem of opioid abuse through enhanced prevention, enforcement and treatment efforts.”
The Sheriff’s Office would like to highlight this incident as an example of the danger of fentanyl use, the importance of carrying naloxone, and recognizing the signs of overdose which may include:
- Difficult to wake up
- Slowed Breathing
- Confusion
- Blue or pale lips and fingernails
If you notice these signs, call 911 immediately and give naloxone. For more information about fentanyl overdose, the signs of overdose and how to get naloxone, visit fentanylisforeversb.org
Fentanyl and other heavy duty’s like it have their place in medicine, but apparently many people aren’t getting that.
Apples and oranges. Stuff you get in the hospital isn’t what’s causing these issues. It’s all of the counterfeit pills and having it cut into other illicit drugs that come over our southern border that’s the problem. Well, that and the dumb ass’s that use it.
Excellent security at that new jail.
Maybe keeping illegal drugs out of the jail in the first place is the answer…just a thought.
That’s unrealistic
It’s actually not. It is well known amongst drug users to seriously avoid getting caught in Ventura County because it is so difficult to get drugs while incarcerated there compared to SB
“It is well known amongst drug users” – where’d you learn that one?
Fentanyl level pharmaceuticals are meant for surgeries and other medical procedures. How this drug has gotten into the hands of so many it was never meant for is the question of the day.
Because it’s really easy to make. China has no problem shipping the raw materials to Mexico for cartels to cook up into massive quantities of fentanyl. Massive quantities of anything are easy to get across our border, especially when the powers that be take an extremely lax position to border enforcement/security. China, the cartels, and those that dictate policy at the southern border simply don’t care about the lives the drug takes. Extending the boarder wall for a few billion certainly wasn’t a total solution, but it was something. Think how many American lives would have been saved if we deployed the $100 BILLION dollars we’ve sent to Ukraine on border security, in addition to the reduction in human trafficking, sex trafficking and massive amount of income we’ve allowed the cartels and their like to generate.
Where do these cons come up with the ridiculously inflated numbers for our support of freedom in Ukraine? Oh, that’s right. They’ve all become pro-dictator, and thus pro-Putin.
The news, you should check it out sometime. $54B and this was back in May. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/20/upshot/ukraine-us-aid-size.html Not sure how being anti-war and anti-US involvement in foreign conflicts equates to being pro-Putin, but I’ve grown to expect the twisted logic as it’s the only way to continue to justify these bad takes.
psshh… You’re in jail and take a pill that someone you don’t know pooped out and sold you and you blame Fentanyl?
Yes, Sheriff, “we all need to work together” to solve these problems of how drugs are getting into your fancy new facility. It seems that all of that money to build a state-of-the-art facility did not help the simple steps of keeping the forbidden stuff out. But we, the public, will stand way behind you.
Go ahead and blame the sheriff for a clown that commits crimes, gets arrested, and then smuggles drugs in his ass into jail, AND then – wait for it – distributes to other clowns to take. Ridiculous.
A bigly failure in the jail and prison system for illegal drugs getting in for the inmates. That’s because it is corrupt by many (not all) jail and prison guards. They get paid off from those from the outside. I met a former CA. prison guard back in 90’s, and I asked him why he quit. Too much corruption in the prison system so he decided to become a Greyhound bus driver. For him much safer. He also saw one of the prison guards get thrown off from one of the top tiers by some inmates and died. That was the last straw for him to be a state prison guard.
“36 Million Lethal Doses of Fentanyl Removed from Communities between May and September” Google fentanyl seizures for more such statistics. This is just greed catering to US obsession with getting high. Back in the 70’s it was Seconal and whites and then it was PCP and Angel Dust ad naseum. Many of these drugs are the product of American corporate excess, especially Fentanyl. The family and company that manufactured this drug knew almost from the beginning that it was grossly addictive but kept pushing it, rewarding medical doctors and pharmacists with trips and other payoffs. They refused to limit production until sued and the company has been convicted but the greedy family that made billions from this decades long crime have been spared from personal criminal liability. They should spent time in jails or prisons where this drug is present and where this drug has placed so many of their victims.