The Orange Beach Police Department made an arrest after police say a woman dropped a dollar bill filled with fentanyl in front of the police department.
According to Lt. Trent Johnson, the investigation began around 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 31. An officer found the dollar bill, and when he picked it up, a white, powdery substance fell out.
“The officer called for medical personnel for suspected exposure to fentanyl,” Johnson said in a press release. “The on-duty supervisor responded and field tested the substance with a positive result for fentanyl.”
Both officers were medically cleared.
Upon investigation, officers discovered surveillance video from earlier in the day that showed how the dollar bill got on the ground outside of the police department.
A woman was walking outside of the department around 10 a.m., along with a man and three children, when the woman dropped the dollar bill in the grass. It appears she did not realize she left the money behind. Police did not say why the woman was at the police department that day.
The woman has been identified as Sarah Charlotte Dailey, 26, of Foley. Dailey was arrested on Aug. 3 and charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and reckless endangerment.
This is the second time a dollar bill has been found with fentanyl on it in Orange Beach this year. Other cases have also been reported across the nation, including in Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, in West Virginia, posted a warning on its Facebook page earlier this summer, telling people not to pick up money found on the ground.
“Please share and educate your children to not pick up any precisely folded money they may find in or around businesses, playgrounds, etc. without using great caution and even alerting a parent or guardian and contact local law enforcement,” the posted stated.
Johnson said he doesn’t think the money is being intentionally laced with fentanyl and left for people to find.
Only a small amount of fentanyl can be fatal. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says only two milligrams of fentanyl can kill a person who does not have a tolerance to the drug.
“Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Fentanyl is everywhere. From large metropolitan areas to rural America, no community is safe from this poison. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent fentanyl-related overdose death and poisonings from claiming scores of American lives every day.”
The DEA will observe Aug. 21, as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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