MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Blytheville Police Department says four officers and a nurse are recovering from fentanyl exposure after a traffic stop in the Arkansas town.
Blytheville Police said it began on May 17, 2024, when one officer pulled over a GMC Yukon that had pulled out in front of the officer. They said the officer smelled marijuana and took the two people inside into custody.
Investigators said on one of the suspects, the officer found baggies with a “crystal-like substance” believed to be meth, and another small bag with possible marijuana and four small blue pills believed to be fentanyl. They said the officer then found five Clonazepam pills and about 50 more pills believed to be fentanyl in the vehicle.
Investigators said as the officer was taking the suspects to the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, he radioed dispatch that he wasn’t feeling well and pulled over. Three other officers responded and found him unconscious on the ground.
Blytheville Police said those officers took the first officer to Great River Medical Center, and once there, those three other officers began to show signs of exposure and lost consciousness. Police said about an hour later, a nurse who was treating the first officer also began to show signs of exposure and was treated.
The two suspects, Travis Leachman and Brittany Deason, both of Blytheville, were charged for the drugs and given a $1,000,000 bond when they were arraigned on May 20.
“Fentanyl continues to ravage communities across the nation, and the recent events showed the city of Blytheville was not immune to this deadly drug,” said Blytheville Police in a news release. “Fentanyl is 50-100 times more potent than Heroin, Oxycodone, or Morphine. Signs of a possible overdose include (but not limited to): trouble walking or talking, bluish or cold/clammy skin, seizures, slow heartbeat, and shallow breathing. If you, or someone you know, is exposed to Fentanyl you are urged call 911 and to seek immediate medical attention."