A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy used a drug overdose antidote to save the life of a Jennings County woman.
Deputy Justin Arnholt was sent to a report of an unconscious person at Circle K, 3461 U.S. 31 South, at 9:12 p.m. Thursday.
Arnholt found a female subject identified as Danielle Williams, 20, Commiskey, lying unresponsive in the back seat of a vehicle, deputies said.
Arnholt said Williams displayed signs of an overdose: shallow breathing, weak pulse and being unresponsive, said Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.
He immediately administered Narcan and Williams began breathing again and was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital.
This was the first time that a Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputy used Narcan to revive an overdose victim, sheriff deputies said.
“It is probable that without Narcan, Ms. Williams would not be alive today,” Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Steinkoenig said.
Williams’ mother told Arnholt that she received a telephone call from her daughter who seemed confused and difficult to understand. She also told the deputy that her daughter was a recovering drug addict,” Jackson said.
While searching for Williams, the mother found her daughter lying on the side of State Road 7. Several people at the scene helped the mother get Williams into the vehicle. When Williams became unresponsive, her mother pulled into Circle K and called 911, deputies said.
All sheriff’s deputies with the department have completed training with Narcan.
Bartholomew County deputies were equipped with the drug because of initial funding provided to the department by the Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation as a one-time grant.
Sheriff Matt Myers included funding for Narcan in the department’s 2016 budget, and he is awaiting a decision from the Bartholomew County Council.
Sgt. James Stevens, Deputy Dane Duke, Detective Will Kinman, Columbus Township Fire Department and EMS assisted Arnholt.
