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Last updated on Wednesday, August 24, 2016
(SEYMOUR) - Seymour Police arrested a man after more than a dozen reports of overdoses in the area.
According to police, 34-year-old Michael Purvis is facing several charges of dealing in a controlled substance. He is being held at the Jackson County Jail.
Police say lives were saved due to the relentless efforts of police, fire, EMS, and hospital staff.
Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott says police believe the people using the heroin overdosing after the drug was laced with powdered carfentanyl, which is a horse tranquilizer.
Abbott says there were 16 overdoses in less than 12 hours. Officers had to use at least two doses of Narcan to get people to respond. In one case, they had to administer four doses.
He says they believe the drugs came out of Cincinnati, which is having similar issues.
Seymour Police say they are working with the Jennings County Sheriff's Department, and Indiana State Police to find the source of the deadly drugs.
Jennings County deputies also responded to a wave of overdoses that killed one person and left 14 others hospitalized.
Jennings County Sheriff Gary Driver says overdoses sent deputies racing from home to home across the county to administer an anti-overdose drug to victims.
Toxicology tests will be performed on a Jennings County woman who died to determine what substance she consumed.
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