SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane police have charged a man with felony assault after he allegedly threw fentanyl powder at two Spokane County Jail officers.
According to the Spokane Police Department (SPD), Jarrell Williams was being processed into jail for a previous Department of Corrections violation when he allegedly threw fentanyl toward a toilet in the room where he was being prepared for entry.
“The powder dispersed throughout the holding cell, exposing two corrections officers. The substance was visibly seen on the uniforms of the exposed staff. The officers displayed physical effects of a possible fentanyl exposure,” the police department.
The exposed staff members were sent to the hospital to be evaluated following the incident. SPD claims that Williams throwing the fentanyl constituted felony assault.
There is no evidence that skin or limited secondhand smoke exposure can cause a fentanyl overdose. However, because police officers are often trained to treat fentanyl exposure as potentially deadly, they can experience negative mental health effects after being in contact with the substance.
Williams is currently in Spokane County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
