Santa Cruz Jail inmate and officers hospitalized, released

One inmate and several correctional officers at the Santa Cruz County Jail were hospitalized, Wednesday. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office tells KION that the incident started when an inmate is believed to have “ingested narcotics” during a pod search. The inmate is back in custody and most correctional officers have been released or are waiting to be released, as of 8:00 p.m.

The pod search was at around 10:45 a.m. and officers allegedly found suspected drugs in the cell. The inmate who was seen swallowing the believed drugs was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Brian Cleveland says the inmate didn’t show any symptoms and was released.

However, over the next couple hours, several correctional officers began showing symptoms of “chemical exposure,” and were transported to the hospital. Cleveland says as of Wednesday night it is not known if and how these offices are connected to the pod search.

As of 8:00 p.m., the Santa Cruz County HazMat team remains by the jail. They are staying there as the Department of Justice works to identify what the substance in question is.

Inmates in the unit with the impacted pod have been temporarily moved out.

This is a developing story.