SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — In a brief ceremony Monday afternoon, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Will Thompson recognized members of the Summersville Police Department who saved a mans life a few weeks ago after he had ingested fentanyl.
“This is something that deserves recognition by this community,” Thompson said.
On the day of the incident, Cpl. Steve Mullins was executing a traffic stop when the man in the vehicle ran away from him. Mullins was able to apprehend the man and then noticed multiple plastic bags on the mans person. The man initially told Mullins he had not ingested anything, but later told him he did use the drugs that were in the plastic bags. Those drugs ended up being fentanyl.
According to Thompson, Mullins called for assistance from two patrolmen, Kyle Carothers and Ryan Woods, once he realized what the man had ingested. Thompson said while the officers were transporting the man to EMS, they noticed he became distressed and his lips had turned blue. Carothers then administered Narcan to the man, ultimately saving his life. Woods kept the man awake until they got him to the hospital.
Thompson says he’s a big proponent of using Narcan. John Nowak, the police chief of the department, requires all officers to have Narcan in their vehicles. A policy that Thompson said he 100% agrees with.
“It’s a way of reversing an opioid overdose, basically a way of saving someone’s life,” Thompson said.
The attorney recognized the officers involved in saving the mans life, and awarded them a certificate and a challenge coin.
“There’s been a lot of negativity around police departments in the last couple weeks in the national press, so I wanted to do something that actually highlighted some of the great work they’re doing,” said Thompson.