KPD Saves Lives of Four From Heroin Overdose

Knoxville Police Department officers have saved four people from heroin overdoses in the past week, according to a news release.

The first save occurred at a Chapman Highway motel on Saturday. Officer Travis Harvey found an unresponsive 35-year-old woman in a hotel room. Harvey administered Naloxone to the woman, who began breathing again after about 30 seconds, according to the release.

The second life saved was Monday when officer Mike Riddle was called to an unresponsive person in the driver's seat of a vehicle on Parkside Drive. Riddle saw a syringe and a belt nearby. After Riddle administered a dose of Naloxone to the 36-year-old man, he began to breathe again. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to the release.

Later that same day, officer Coy Tucker was called to a reported overdose at a residence on Baxter Avenue.

Tucker got no response from knocking on the door, so he searched for a victim by looking into the home through windows. He saw the feet of a person hanging off a bed in a back bedroom. Tucker entered the home and found a 27-year-old man slumped over the bed, the release said, unresponsive. Tucker administered his dose of Naloxone to the man, who began breathing and was transported to a hospital.

Tucker found a used syringe next to the man.

The fourth save came Wednesday at a Vermont Avenue home after a 911 call from an 8-year-old girl. The child said her mother overdosed on what she believed was heroin. Sgt. Caryn Heitz responded to the scene and found a 35-year-old woman unconscious on the bathroom floor. After administering the Naloxone, the woman revived, talked to Heitz and was taken to a hospital.

Officers later found that the mother had been using heroin with a man inside the home. The man left the house when the mother fell unconscious. Heitz also found that the only food in the house was a bag of chips, the release said. Heitz, with officer JaJuan Hamilton and officer Hunter Snoderly, got food for the children and tended to them until family members from out of town arrived. Charges are pending against the woman, the release said. Investigators with the Family Crimes Unit said the living conditions of the residence are a potential danger to the children.

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