Man charged after police officers exposed to fentanyl during violent arrest

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A 27-year-old St. Thomas man is facing a slew of charges after two police officers were assaulted during an arrest and three officers were exposed to fentanyl when a suspect tried to swallow several small bags of the drug.

On Tuesday night around 10 p.m., St. Thomas police pulled over a vehicle at First Avenue near Forest Avenue after spotting a wanted man in the passenger seat. The vehicle was being driven by a woman with whom the man is under court order not to associate.

During the traffic stop, a man assaulted two police officers while resisting arrest. A switchblade fell from the man’s pocket during the struggle.

The man was transported to the cell block at Colin McGregor Justice Building, where he became aggressive after officers located fentanyl hidden in his underwear.

A struggle ensued as the man attempted to swallow several small bags of the oft-deadly drug.

One bag tore open during the incident and exposed the man and three police officers to fentanyl.


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Naloxone, an anti-overdose medication, was administered to the accused, and he was transported to hospital for treatment.

The three officers were decontaminated and returned to duty.

Police seized 7.6 grams of purple fentanyl with a street value of $4,500.

The man originally was wanted on charges of possession and using counterfeit money after trying to defraud a pizza delivery service by paying with a fake bill.

He’s now facing 16 additional charges after the Wednesday night incident, including possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of assaulting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and unauthorized possession of a weapon.