9 Employees Hospitalized from Synthetic Drug Exposure at Stillwater Prison
Photo via Minnesota Department of Corrections
The Minnesota Department of Corrections is investigating after nine staff members at MCF-Stillwater were hospitalized Thursday morning following exposure to an unknown substance.
Authorities say the incident began at 7:44 a.m. when a staff member responded to reports of an incarcerated man smoking an unknown substance in his cell.
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The staff member soon experienced symptoms of lightheadedness, nausea and an elevated heart rate, leading to an ambulance being called and the employee’s eventual transport to Lakeview Hospital. Shortly after, three additional staff members who responded to assist the first staff member reported similar symptoms and were also hospitalized.
Later that morning, three more correctional officers who responded to the initial call began feeling ill, and two of them were taken to the hospital. In a separate incident, but within the same housing unit, an incarcerated man threw a container with an unknown substance near staff members who developed an illness, resulting in three more hospitalizations.
In total, nine DOC staff members were hospitalized. One staff member was administered Narcan after developing symptoms. All but one of the affected staff were transported by paramedics and all have since been treated and released.
According to the DOC, the incarcerated man involved in the first incident admitted to smoking what he believed was a stronger-than-expected dose of synthetic K-2. Investigators are still working to identify the specific substance involved, but recent investigations have revealed the presence of MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid that has been frequently introduced through the mail.
“These synthetic substances are particularly dangerous because the chemical properties that comprise them are unknown and uncontrolled,” said Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. “We are prioritizing our investigative efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for conspiring to introduce these substances into the secure correctional environment. For the safety of our staff, we are reviewing and updating our emergency response protocols to suspected drug use incidents,” Schnell said.
The investigation is ongoing into the incident.
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