U.S. attorney announces ‘fusion resource center’ in Cranberry
Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone, right, and U.S. Attorney David Hickton answer questions Tuesday at a news conference on heroin at Courthouse Square in Washington.
U.S. Attorney David Hickton speaks Tuesday at a news conference on heroin at Courthouse Square in Washington. Listening, from left, are Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome, Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone and Drug Enforcement Administration agent David Batiste.
Ronald McMillian
A four-count indictment against a Washington man accused of trafficking fentanyl-laced heroin tied to overdoses is the result of federal, state and Washington County resources being pooled, U.S. Attorney David Hickton said Tuesday in a news conference at Courthouse Square.
Hickton said Ronald McMillian’s Feb. 9 arrest on heroin trafficking charges is an example of why law enforcement and public health officials opened a “fusion resource center” in Cranberry Township where anonymous tips and photographs can be forwarded.
McMillian, 23, who faces four charges of manufacturing or delivering heroin, remained in Washington County jail on $25,000 bond Tuesday. The heroin the Washington resident allegedly supplied was used in two overdoses in August, according to Hickton, during a month when there were nearly 30 other overdoses. McMillian was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh and could face from 20 years to life in prison, a $1 million fine, or both, if convicted.
“Canonsburg is a model of what we can do when law enforcement and health professionals and awareness of this issue come together,” Hickton said, referring to first responders in the borough using Narcan on overdose victims and treating every overdose scene as an investigation. “Their crime, their robberies were directly correlated with the drug epidemic.”
Hickton was joined by Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome and Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone.
There were 222 overdoses in Washington County since August, 33 of which were fatal, with 36 “saves,” or opioid antidote reversals, using Narcan since June, according to Hickton.
Vittone also called on all county first responder agencies that haven’t adopted Narcan-carrying policies to approach the county for training and supply.
“This is part of a new initiative,” Vittone said. “There’s no quick solution to this. There’s no panacea to this epidemic.”
Canonsburg Police Department was the first agency in the county to use Narcan, beginning last May. Rhome said law enforcement agencies were hesitant to adopt a carry policy, but most have embraced it.
“There was some apprehension because there was the thought it was needles, not the nasal spray that it is,” Rhome said, acknowledging some people have the opinion of “let addicts die.”
“If people can’t approach or understand overdose victims with compassion,” Hickton said, “they need to understand these drugs and their addiction has reversed thousands of years of evolution. Rats in labs will run through fire to get this stuff.”
The availability of heroin laced with fentanyl changes how family and friends should approach known addicts, Hickton said.
“The ingestion of a small amount can cause the complete disabling of your central nervous system, and you basically die. We are charging those cases most aggressively. … If you have a loved one who is in the throes of heroin addiction and fentanyl is on the street, there is no basis for delay. People often talk about letting a person find their own bottom. Don’t – once it gets in your system, you’re likely to die,” Hickton said.
Authorities announced the new confidential fusion resource center in Cranberry will collect anonymous tips and pictures sent to a tip line through text message: “TIP4111″ with the keyword PGHOD. More information can be found at www.overdosefreepa.org.