By Amanda Spence
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. — A jail in North Carolina now has a body scanner after a recent slew of overdoses.
Sheriff Chris Francis said the scanner arrived last month and Rutherford County Jail staff will undergo training, according to ABC 13 News. The first incident of overdoses on fentanyl in the jail happened in January. Four inmates recovered, but one inmate, Andrew Hodge, died. At that time, Sheriff Francis and his department attempted to get a body scanner for the jail.
“Fentanyl has been so deadly in such small amounts,” Francis explained. “That’s what I have seen, that’s been the big difference in the last two years in detention facilities across the United States.”
Thirteen other North Carolina counties already have body scanners. The new scanner for Rutherford County costs around $200,000. It was purchased with state and county funds.
The second incident of overdoses occurred in August. Five inmates overdosed at the time. Three were taken to a hospital and later released.