ST. Charles – Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, along with State’s Attorney Joe McMahon and Coroner Rob Russell, are warning the public of an increase in heroin overdose deaths. Within the last six weeks, there have been six deaths from heroin injection. This is compared to 12 for the entire year to date. This surge is indicative of trends in which new compounds are added to heroin by trafficking groups.
As a career-long drug-enforcement officer, Sheriff Hain knows the importance of interdicting the flow of heroin on the streets and has elevated his investigations staff and their collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration through Kane County’s Heroin Initiative Task Force to relentlessly target heroin dealers and those responsible for the overdose deaths. The sheriff has implemented medically assisted treatment for the opioid dependent, coupled with addiction counseling, within the county jail as a means to rehabilitate the addicted population.
“Our jail is the fusion center for all of our community’s problems. What we do inside our facility to support the incarcerated will hopefully have a positive impact on our citizens when they return to home.”
Sheriff Hain is also working toward opening a residential treatment center housed within the Sheriff’s Office that would be available to the Kane County population.
Coroner Rob Russell advises that unfortunately, the opioid epidemic continues, which is bad news. The good news is that through collaborative efforts, the number of deaths appears to be down from last year at this time.
“My sincere hope is that the rate of death continues to fall”, Russell said. “Collaboration is the key and we continue to do it at optimal levels. This increase in the past 6 weeks is a reminder that we must continue to be vigilant throughout the year.”
State’s Attorney McMahon stated, “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute heroin dealers, and we will direct users toward treatment and rehabilitation. I recognize that we cannot arrest and prosecute our way out of this opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Heroin is a horrible drug that becomes more dangerous and deadly when it is mixed with synthetics like fentanyl. I hope people who are using heroin or opioid products will seek treatment and counseling on their own before it becomes an addiction.”
The Sheriff, State’s Attorney, and Coroner are all members of Kane County’s Opioid Task Force, which is led by the Health Department. They continue to collaborate in the establishment of the “A Way Out” program, which provides law enforcement-led connections to treatment centers for the opioid addicted. The program will be in full operation soon, but both Sheriff Hain and Coroner Russell urge anyone struggling with addiction to reach out to them now for treatment referral. Sheriff Hain can be reached at (630) 208-2000 and Coroner Russell can be reached at (630) 232-3535.
Media inquiries should be directed to Sheriff Hain, State’s Attorney McMahon or Coroner Russell.
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