Investigation ordered into Mendocino County deputy’s suspected drug overdose

A Mendocino County sheriff’s deputy was taken to a local hospital Monday night after allegedly overdosing on illegal drugs.

At 8:33 p.m. Monday, deputies heard reports over their radios of a medical emergency at the Fort Bragg home of one of their colleagues, who was off-duty, according to a department news release. Medical personnel who responded administered life-saving techniques, giving the deputy Narcan, a medication used to counter the effects of opioid overdose. The deputy was then taken to a local hospital, where he is expected to recover.

A sheriff’s sergeant who responded to the call noticed drug paraphernalia and suspected illicit drugs in the deputy’s home, the news release said. Based on the circumstances of the incident, the sergeant believed that the deputy had experienced a drug overdose.

Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall declined to name the deputy unless the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office files charges against him. He said, though, that the deputy has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for less than five years.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a criminal and an administrative investigation into the incident. The deputy is on paid administrative leave.

Once the criminal investigation is complete, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office will review the findings and determine whether to file any criminal charges.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.