Report: State probing overdoses at Morgan County prison

The Tennessee Department of Correction is believed to be investigating a series of overdoses at the Morgan County prison, based on reports from other media outlets.

A spokesperson for the state declined to confirm the overdoses, saying only that the department doesn’t allow drugs in prisons and uses several methods to prevent illicit substances from being smuggled into prisons. But WBIR reported obtaining an employee’s 911 call from the correctional complex last week in which two to three ambulances were requested for “multiple overdoses” at the prison. The employee told dispatchers he thought the overdoses involved a synthetic form of marijuana called K2 and that and said staff administered Narcan to several inmates, according to the report.

Asked about the reported overdoses, a Department of Correction spokesperson issued a statement saying the state is investigating an incident that occurred at the Morgan County prison last week.

“TDOC maintains a zero-tolerance policy for contraband and remains committed to aggressively preventing its entry into our facilities. Through routine searches, intelligence-led operations, and collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we continually work to identify, intercept, and remove contraband while protecting the safety of our staff and those in our custody.”

Correction officials also told WBIR that no staff members were hurt in the incident.

The investigation comes about six months after an inmate allegedly killed officer Dustin Pedigo. Reginald Steed is under indictment on a first-degree murder charge and moved to Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Faulty locks on prison cell doors were blamed.