Woman saved by cops, EMTs thought fentanyl was heroin, complaint says

By BILL SCHANEN IV

Ozaukee Press staff

A 41-year-old Grafton woman who was revived by first responders after overdosing last month told authorities she thought she was using heroin, not the far more potent narcotic fentanyl, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

Jennifer A. Busch, who is charged with one felony count of possessing narcotic drugs, made her initial court appearance Tuesday. Judge Steven Cain set her bail at a $1,500  signature bond.

Officers who were called to Busch’s apartment on Saturday, Feb. 4, found her unconscious with blue lips and cold skin and said her breathing was labored — symptoms of an opiate drug overdose, the complaint states.

The officers administered CPR until emergency medial personnel arrived and gave Busch the opioid overdose treatment Narcan.

Busch regained consciousness and told authorities she had used heroin, which was hidden in her closet, according to the complaint.

An officer found a black piece of fabric pinned in the sleeve of a sweater that contained a small bag with a whitish/gray powder in it.

A test revealed that the powder was fentanyl.

Busch later told authorities that she thought she had purchased heroin. She said this was only the second time she had used drugs, the complaint states.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is as much as 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, most recent fentanyl-related overdoses are linked to illegally manufactured fentanyl that is popular on the illicit drug market because of its heroin-like effect. Fentanyl is often added to other drugs because of its potency, which makes drugs cheaper as well as more powerful, addictive and dangerous, according to the CDC.