WAGONER COUNTY, Okla. — Two inmates nearly died from a fentanyl overdose inside the Wagoner County Jail Monday night.

The sheriff said a different inmate is the one responsible for giving them the drugs.

Wagoner County deputies did routine hourly checks on inmates, now, they’re having K-9 officers with them to search for drugs following the incident.

Sheriff Chris Elliott said this is the new normal.

“We are looking to make sure we are bringing two different K-9 dogs that are narcotic sniffing dogs, coming in the facility unannounced and we are doing random searches of the jail,” said Elliott.

Sheriff Elliott said the inmate responsible is Dawaune Allen.

Allen was arrested Saturday for burglary, possession of controlled substances, paraphernalia, and stolen property.

Wagoner County deputies believe just two days after being incarcerated, Allen allegedly gave two inmates fentanyl Monday afternoon.

“It is a dangerous, dangerous drug and it’s not uncommon for people to bring contraband into our facilities,” Elliott said.

The Sheriff said they found the two inmates unresponsive during their routine hourly checks.

“We went back there and once we found him unresponsive, we started working on that problem,” said Elliott. “We had administered Narcan to both of them. One of them was pretty severe. We found him [with] no pulse, no respirations. We thought he was dead.”

Once he was conscious, both inmates were rushed to the hospital.

Sheriff Elliott said he thinks Allen used his body to smuggle the drugs into the jail when he was booked.

“With it sequestered up in a body cavity or they’ve ingested it and it’s in their abdomen somewhere. It’s just no way a facility is going to find all that unless they’ve got some type of x-ray scanner up front,” said Elliott.

He said fentanyl is a problem and he believes it is a weapon of mass destruction.

“It’s a felony to bring that in and it’s a felony to distribute that and so, he handed it off to some people and we’ve got video,” said Elliott. “We are doing an investigation right now and we’re pulling together additional charges for him.”

Sheriff Elliott said they found what they believe was more fentanyl Tuesday with someone Allen had been in contact with.

He will be charged with possession and distribution.

One of the inmate’s mothers said she is confused as to why she wasn’t notified when her son was rushed to the hospital.She didn’t think she had to worry about her son getting ahold of drugs in jail, but Sheriff Elliott said they don’t have the technology to catch anything swallowed or smuggled in different body cavities.

“I got a call around 1 o’clock...and they asked me if I talked to my son or have, I heard anything and I let them know...I talked to him the other day. I know he goes to court today,” said Micki Hooks, mother of one of the inmates. “He was like, ‘...Somehow some fentanyl got in there and he was one of the ones they found unresponsive and took him to the hospital, but he’s okay’.”

Micki Hooks said her son Jadontray Hooks had been in the Wagoner County Jail for over a year and she knew he had a drug problem, but figured since he was in jail, he no longer has to worry about that.

“By him being in there, I’m thinking, ‘Whew, I can get some sleep, I don’t have to worry he’s not getting no drugs,’ and look.”

Hooks said she tried to call the jail butcouldn’t get any information about her son due to HIPAA laws.

Chief Elliott said they don’t normally tell families when inmates are taken to the hospital.

“We don’t typically notify families when we transport somebody to the hospital,” said Elliott. “Obviously, if they are extremely critical, we think they are going to die, we notify them then, but in this case right here, we didn’t seem it necessary to notify family members.”

He said with the inmates being adults, there is nothing they can do since that information is private.

“They need to get more equipped on what they need and stuff to prevent stuff like this from happening, [be]cause it’s ridiculous. Even though jail’s not a good place, once you’re in there you should be safe.”

Sheriff Elliott said that’s exactly what they are working to do.

“This incident just solidifies how vastly important it is that the Wagoner County Detention Center gets a medical grade body scanner,” Elliott said.

The sheriff said they just have to find a way to fund it.

“Right now, I’m in discussion with the Wagoner County Board of Commissioners...trying to find the funding to purchase this type of technology for the Wagoner County Detention Center,” said Elliott. “I sincerely believe that if we get this body scanner, it’s going to lessen the civil liability in this county.”