RELATED: Drug overdoses remain leading cause of death in Butler County
Two of the heroin overdoses were reported one block and a few minutes apart on Jewell Avenue, police said.
Jackie Phillips, the city’s health commissioner, said since the overdoses occurred so close together and in the same area, they could have been due to “highly volatile drugs,” a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. She said all the drugs may have come from the same batch sold by the same dealer.
There were 192 drug overdose deaths in Butler County last year and 153 of them — or 80 percent — were fentanyl/heroin related, said Dr. Lisa Mannix, Butler County coroner.
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Middletown police and paramedics responded to the 3000 block of Omaha Street at 10 p.m. Friday on a report that five people had overdosed.
Michael Wallace, 30, who lives next door, was found in the front yard. He was treated with Narcan and, after responding, he told officers he snorted either heroin or crystal methamphetamine.
Officers then found Eugene Mongar Jr., 32, lying on the living room floor and he was unresponsive and sweating profusely, according to the report. Mongar Jr. was administered Narcan and he said he had snorted heroin.
Next to a couch in the living room, police found Jonathan Sandlin, 37, the homeowner. He told officers he had shot about $20 worth of heroin.
Police then found James Wallace, 32, passed out on the floor. He was given 12 milligrams of Narcan and told officers he snorted heroin.
A fifth person, Cannie Wells was found with a hypodermic needle in her front pocket. She told officers she used heroin but didn’t overdose. The report doesn’t say who in the residence called police.
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Mongar Jr. was charged with disorderly conduct intoxication. James Wallace was charged with disorderly conduct intoxication. Michael Wallace was charged with disorderly conduct intoxication and for a warrant out of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for neglected child. Wells was charged with one count of possession of drug abuse instruments.
Sandlin was charged with permitting drug abuse, possession of drug abuse instruments and disorderly conduct.
The first weekend overdose occurred at 3 p.m. Friday when officers and paramedics were called to an apartment in the 500 block of South Sutphin Street. They found Rhonda Holt, 38, of Wayne Avenue, slumped over in front of the apartment door.
The man who lives in the apartment said Holt walked into his residence.
After being revived with Narcan, Holt, who refused to be treated at the hospital, was transported to the City Jail, where she was charged with drug abuse instruments for the syringe and criminal trespassing.
Since someone called police about the incident, Holt was not charged with heroin due to the Good Samaritan Law, the police report said.
There were three heroin overdoses on Saturday.
Police were dispatched to the 4000 block of Jewell Avenue at 3 p.m., and six minutes later, to the 3900 block of Jewell Avenue on reports of drug overdoses.
Police found Kevin Pergram, 40, unconscious and struggling to breathe in the driveway in the 4000 block of Jewell, and Sherry Miller, 32, was found in the front bedroom. Both were revived with Narcan, police said.
They were charged with disorderly conduct intoxication/heroin, police said.
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Six minutes later, police found Anthony Sanders, 39, unconscious in the back yard of a residence in the 3900 block of Jewell Avenue. He was revived and charged with disorderly conduct/heroin.
Police found William Alley, 24, of Oxford State Road, unconscious and struggling to breathe in a bathroom in the 1400 block of Manchester Avenue. He was revived by Narcan and charged with disorderly conduct/heroin, possession of drug abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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