YORK COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – The York County Sheriff’s Office says its investigating three inmate overdose cases.
Leaders say the overdoses occurred inside one housing unit at the York County Detention Center.
Below is the official release from the sheriff’s office.
YORK COUNTY, SC – York County Detention Officers are investigating three inmate overdose cases inside one housing unit at the York County Detention Center. Between September 7, 2022 at 11:30 p.m. and September 8, 2022 at 12:15 a.m., three inmates were found by officers unresponsive in their cells. NARCAN was immediately administered to the inmates and all were taken to local hospital facilities by EMS for further assessment and care.
The first inmate was found around 11:30 p.m. As a precaution, detention staff increased inmate well-being checks from every 30-minutes to 15-minutes. During these checks two more inmates were found unresponsive.
The initial investigation has concluded that on September 6th, information was given to detention staff about possible pills being distributed in a specific housing unit.
Working on this information, detention staff conducted a search of the suspected housing unit.
During the search, inmate Tyquan Rodriguez Green, 25, of Charlotte, NC, was attempting to dispose of 95 pressed fentanyl pills in a toilet.
Detention staff were able to retrieve the pills before they were flushed.
He was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Narcotic and Possession of Contraband.
A follow up search of the housing unit was conducted during the day on September 7th, and inmates Keon Arquis Davis, 27, of Rock Hill, and Tyler Mitchell Fesperman, 27, of Rock Hill, were found to be in possession of approximately 40 pills. Both were also charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Narcotic and Possession of Contraband.
One of the inmates that overdosed on the night of September 7th, Jacob Dwayne Hall, 29, of Clover, SC, was found to be in possession of 24 pills.
Hall was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Narcotic and Possession of Contraband. Hall’s cellmate Leroy Westberry III, 30, of Rock Hill, was also charged the same. Inmate Westberry did not overdose.
The two other inmates that overdosed, Colton Lukas Haire, 25, of Fort Mill, and Trampus Keith Faile, 46, of Richburg, SC did not have additional pills in their possession and were not criminally charged.
“It is clearly disturbing as to how these pills were brought into the facility, and even more so the life-threatening risk that the inmates posed on themselves by taking such a dangerous narcotic,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
After the overdose incidents another intense shake down search of the housing unit was
conducted, and no additional pills or contraband were located.
“We are searching the entire facility and all inmates for any further pills,” said Tolson. “This is the first time that this large of an amount of contraband has made it past our stringent security screenings, and we will work to prevent something like this to happen again.”
It is unclear how Tyquan Green, who has been in custody at the YCDC since August 25, brought the pills into the facility. During the arrest and booking process all inmates are physically searched several times and put through a body scanner.
The pills were not discovered or seen during those searches.
Additional housing unit searches have not found any more pills.
All inmates taken to the hospital have since been returned to the YCDC. The investigation is ongoing.
