Pueblo County Deputy Goes Unconscious After Exposed to Fentanyl

Pueblo, Colorado — On July 23, 2024, at about 4:00 a.m., Pueblo County Sheriff's Deputies responded to the Loaf N Jug, 1700 Santa Fe, on an unwanted person at the store. Deputies contacted the man, identified as 31-year-old Anthony Gendoes, and learned that he had an active warrant. Deputies, who were wearing protective gloves, conducted a routine pat search of Gendoes and found suspected fentanyl pills and paraphernalia on him. Gendoes also admitted to deputies that he had just smoked fentanyl prior to having contact with the deputies. Deputies took Gendoes into custody without incident and placed him in a patrol car while they were processing the drugs and paraphernalia.

One of the deputies began feeling ill and subsequently went unconscious and fell to the ground. The second deputy quickly administered a dose of agency-issued Narcan, which is an FDA-approved drug to counteract the effects of opioid overdose. A second dose of Narcan was administered and the deputy regained consciousness. She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where she was treated and released for the exposure. She is recovering at home. After the exposure occurred, the Sheriff’s Office contacted the Colorado State Patrol Hazmat team to test and safely bag the pills and paraphernalia. The State Patrol’s presumptive test was positive for fentanyl. Gendoes was arrested on the warrant and a new charge of possession of a controlled substance. He has been booked into the Pueblo County Jail.