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3 inmates overdose in JoCo jail By Nick Morgan Updated: Jul 15, 2022 04:53 PM A A Three Josephine County Jail inmates were hospitalized Wednesday after allegedly ingesting fentanyl smuggled into the facility. At about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, an unidentified adult inmate began having a medical emergency inside their cell, according to the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. Within minutes, two inmates in a separate cell block started showing similar overdose symptoms, according to police. Jail staff immediately rendered aid to the three inmates until paramedics could rush them to a nearby hospital. All of the inmates are expected to make a full recovery. Citing patient privacy laws, the sheriff’s office sais it does not intend to identify the inmates who overdosed. The sheriff’s office said it has received an “overwhelming amount of phone calls” from inmates’ family and friends checking on their status since the overdose. The sheriff’s office said “all involved parties are stable” and that, in the event of a medical emergency, jail staff would reach out to the inmates’ family members. The incident mirrored a similar overdose incident June 20 in the Jackson County Jail that sent two inmates to a hospital. In that case, Sylvia Rose Hutchinson-Hernandez of Toledo allegedly smuggled more than an ounce of the synthetic opioid through a body cavity. The drug sent two inmates, Natalie Rogers and Dawn Robinson, to the hospital. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office intends to seek stiffer penalties against Hutchinson-Hernandez, according to a July 5 filing in Jackson County Circuit Court. Deputy District Attorney Lucy Durst alleges the offense “demonstrates the defendant’s disregard for any laws and inability to be deterred from committing new criminal activity,” as stated in the notice of the state’s intent to rely on enhancement facts. Hutchinson-Hernandez is next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 12 on felony charges of manufacturing and delivering a Schedule II controlled substance and supplying contraband. As of Friday afternoon, she remained in the Jackson County Jail without bail. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.