HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Houston County District Attorney's office held a press conference Friday morning with an update on the countywide fentanyl crackdown investigations.
District Attorney William Kendall announced that 38 arrests were made over the past 40 days with drug-trafficking charges.
He had only one warning for those committing the same crimes:
"We're not going to cut any deals. We're not going to make it easy on you. We're going to argue against bond, and we're going to seek the maximum punishment possible for your evil."
The county has seen 40 people die of an overdose in 2023 so far, according to the coroner's office. The majority of them are fentanyl-related.
From 2019 through 2021, fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths increased by 124%, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
It's continuing to plague the nation, rising 50-fold in a decade.
Kendall said his "unprecedented approach" to the issue started Sept. 3 when law enforcement agencies gathered to discuss a plan of action.
"All of our local agencies were in agreement that we have a problem," Kendall said.
That Sunday, he said, was the first time the Houston County task force met as a team. It included officers from Centerville, Warner Robins and Perry police departments and Houston County Sheriff's Office deputies. The task force also has federal agencies backing it up, including the United States Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"A problem of a serious nature for which we needed to set aside other business and focus our efforts countywide," he continued. "Since then, we've done just that."
"We're gonna work together," Perry Police Chief Alan Everidge said. "The criminals need to know we're gonna work together."
The district attorney expressed his gratitude to all those involved in his task force, especially to those in the field for the high-risk situations they are put in.
During search warrant investigations, two officers from the Perry Police Department came in contact with fentanyl and were hospitalized.
Kendall acknowledged the stakes of the positions they were in and commended them for returning to their posts within a few days of recovering.
"It's ruining families, communities and even our own law enforcement at risk," Kendall said.
Since the Narcan initiative began in the spring, the district attorney's office reported they brought ten people back to life after the reversal overdose drug was administered on 17 separate occasions.
Kendall said from what his task force has seen, the drug does not discriminate against age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status.
"We've responded to low-income areas, trailer parks, apartment complexes, project areas, and million-dollar gated communities," Houston County Coroner James Williams said at the podium.
They've seen victims range as young as 15 years old to 70.
"We've knocked on too many doors and woke up mom and daddies at 2 in the morning to tell them their child has died overdosing on drugs," Williams said.
As a result of the joint-task force initiative, the coroner's office said they've seen a drop in the number of overdose cases.
In a statement, Williams said: "During the past 40 days since this task force was formed, it hasn't stopped all drug overdose deaths in Houston County, but my office has seen a decrease in the number of cases. I credit that to the hard work District Attorney Will Kendall and all task force members are doing.
"If we can prevent just one death, it makes it all worth it."
The district attorney's office is providing funds to crime stoppers for an additional $500 to the reward money for people arrested with warrants on fentanyl-related cases.
Kendall added at the end of the press conference a direct message to others trafficking opioids and fentanyl: "If you're left in our community, and you're still selling the poison that is killing our people, you need to pick a new profession. If you can't do that, you need to pack your bags and get out of our county."
Overdose symptoms include:
- Unconsciousness
- Limp body
- Extreme drowsiness
- Pale, blue or clammy skin
If you suspect a drug overdose, call 911 immediately and stay with the person until help arrives.
Georgia has a medical amnesty law that protects people experiencing an overdose and callers seeking medical attention.