Coram
A Bartholomew County Jail inmate who was arrested on felony charges of dealing in a narcotic drug, trafficking with an inmate and obstruction of justice relating to an overdose incident in the jail reportedly hid fentanyl in foil between his buttocks that escaped detection when he was scanned and strip searched at the facility.
Dai Von Coram, 27, 1922 Indiana Ave., faces those charges in addition to the charges he was initially booked into jail for on Feb. 21, which include invasion of privacy, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a syringe, according to court documents.
Coram was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital after the Feb. 21 arrest to be medically evaluated for drug intoxication, and when returned to jail, was strip searched, where foil was located in his anal region, court documents state. No additional contraband was found at that time.
On Feb. 22, Coram was given naloxone, an overdose antidote, by jail medical staff and was transported to CRH due to signs of an overdose, court documents state. He was later released an sent back to the jail.
On Feb. 26, Bartholomew County’s Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team was contacted about four possible overdoses that had occurred at the same time in the jail’s “M Block” at about 5:15 p.m.
One inmate appeared to be unconscious and had a very light pulse, court documents state. Three rounds of naloxone were administered before the inmate regained consciousness and was transported to CRH for futher medical care.
Shortly after this incident, another inmate began experiencing overdose symptoms and was taken to CRH, receiving naloxone on the way to the hospital, court documents state. Two other inmates then experienced overdose symptoms and were also transported to the hospital.
Jail staff reported the only new inmate who had arrived in “M Block” was Coram, court documents state.
After the overdose incidents, Coram was given another body scan on Feb. 26 which showed something “irregular and had a possible foreign object,” according to court records.
On Feb. 27, after being granted a search warrant to search Coram’s rectum for contraband due to his assignment to “M Block” where the overdoses occurred, officers attempted to locate contraband, but did not locate any. Coram was returned to the jail, but remained in the “intake” area for observation, according to court records.
When the first inmate who overdosed was drug tested at CRH, the sample tested positive for fentanyl, court records state. Another inmate who was in “M Block” was also drug tested and tested positive for fentanyl.
Coram was interviewed by investigators on Feb. 27 and told them he purchased heroin/fentanyl earlier in the day before being booked into jail on Feb. 21, according to a probable cause affidavit.
He told investigators he normally tucks the dope under his genitalia and that he had purchased one gram for $100.
Coram said he was sent through the body scanner at the jail and was strip searched, court records state. He said corrections officers located one piece of aluminum foil, but he was able to hid two other pieces of the foil “between his butt cheeks” that contained heroin/fentanyl, court records state.
When he was moved to “M Block,” he met up with his friends (two of the inmates who overdosed) and provided them a “bump” of the heroin/fentanyl for free, court records state.
Coram told investigators when the overdoses occurred he became scared and went to his cell and flushed the remaining heroin/fentanyl down the toilet in his cell, court documents stated. Coram described the bag as a clear corner-cut baggie, court documents state.
