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Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has called on the Legislature to take additional action to curb children’s access to fentanyl and other deadly narcotics.

The call comes after three infants in Everett overdosed within four days last week, including the fatal overdose of a 13-month-old.

Officials do not believe the incidents are related.

“It’s completely indefensible when an infant or child gets sick or dies because someone in the household is using deadly drugs such as fentanyl,” Braun said in a statement Friday. “These children are innocent, and whoever’s negligence is exposing them to lethal street drugs needs to be charged with a felony for child endangerment.”

According to Everett Police and Fire, emergency crews responded to three overdoses between April 20 and 24.

The first incident occurred just after 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, when firefighters were called to a residence where an 11-month-old child was found unresponsive by their parents. The child was given overdose-reversing medication Narcan before the fire departments arrived. The child was taken to a hospital for additional treatment. The child has since been released.

The second incident occurred Wednesday when a caller reported a 6-month-old baby who was experiencing difficulty breathing. Firefighters immediately administered care, including Narcan. As of Thursday, the baby was in stable condition in a hospital.

Hours later, a caller reported an unresponsive 13-month-old baby at an apartment complex in Everett. First responders immediately began life-saving efforts, and the child was taken to a hospital, where they later died. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the official cause and manner of death.

The Everett Police Department is investigating all three cases.

In October, the mayor of Everett convened a task force to examine an uptick in drug usage in the city, specifically fentanyl, meth and other illegal substances. The task force is expected to develop the next steps or recommendations for the city to consider.

According to Braun, legislation introduced last session would have increased penalties for exposing children to fentanyl and other deadly substances.

“Sen. Lynda Wilson fought for a bill last session that would include fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in the statute on endangerment with a controlled substance. It had bipartisan support and passed unanimously in the Senate,” Braun said. “The chair of the House’s Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee wouldn’t even grant it a hearing, despite repeated calls to do so. He claimed that not one of the 58 Democrats in the House would vote for it.”

Braun called on the Legislature to take additional action against fentanyl and other illegal narcotics in future legislative sessions, adding he hopes “House Democrats take notice of these latest infant overdoses.”

During the 2024 session, lawmakers passed legislation proposed by Wilson to establish an opioid awareness campaign managed by the Department of Health known as “One Pill Kills.” The Legislature also passed legislation proposed by Braun that will earmark at least 20% of state opioid manufacturer settlement funds for Native American tribal programs.

In a joint media release Thursday, the Everett police and fire departments said the city is “deeply concerned” about an increase in opioid overdoses among children. Even small amounts of the substances, they said, can prove deadly due to a lack of tolerance.

Between September 2022 and September 2023, Washington reported the highest year-over-year increase in overdoses. During that time, overdose fatalities increased from 2,483 to 3,511.

“Those who are trapped in addiction need help — addiction itself is not a crime — but their disease does not excuse them for injuries or deaths that occur as a byproduct of their addiction,” Braun said. “If being charged with a felony and doing time for exposing minors to fentanyl is what is needed to protect these babies in the future, then we should pass legislation to hold people accountable.”

According to the Everett Fire Department, overdoses can occur both intentionally and accidentally, and time can be crucial when one occurs. If you suspect someone has overdosed, the Everett Fire Department recommends a four-step process which includes:

• Checking for signs of overdose

• Calling 911

• Administering Naloxone and beginning rescue breathing

• Staying with the individual

Naloxone, also known as Narcan, can reverse the effects of opioids. It is available for purchase without a prescription at pharmacies. Four organizations in Lewis County also distribute Naloxone for free.

To find a location that administers Naloxone, visit stopoverdose.org. Those struggling with addiction can also call the 24-hour Washington Recovery Helpline at 1-866-789-1511.

The Centralia Lions Club held its annual youth fishing derby at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Saturday, April 27.

The  derby lasted from about 8 a.m. until noon.

Children ages 3 to 15 signed up for prize drawings. Volunteers provided participants with free hot dogs and milk.

The annual derby coincided with the lowland lakes season opener in Washington. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks millions of trout in lakes throughout the year, and opening day marks the first time people can fish many of those lakes for the catchable trout planted every winter and spring. Opening day lakes are often stocked shortly before the start of their six-month season. Anglers can visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants to see which lakes have been stocked in recent weeks and can sort by county or waterbody to find a nearby stocked lake. 

The Chehalis City Council approved the creation of the city’s own Treatment Court program modeled after Lewis County Drug Court last month.

On Monday, April 22, the council moved to officially adopt and sign an interlocal agreement with Lewis County for the court.

The Chehalis Treatment Court was proposed by Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman last month. It would aim to help rehabilitate repeat offenders of non-violent crimes related to homelessness, mental health issues and drug abuse. The move would also save the city money on jail costs when the repeat offenders are arrested.

Chehalis and Lewis County staff have been drafting the interlocal agreement since last month.

“It has not been officially approved by the county, but the county asked that it be finally approved by the city before they take it before the (Lewis County Board of County Commissioners),” Chehalis City Attorney Kevin Nelson told the council on April 22.

The interlocal agreement’s terms dictate that the City of Chehalis will pay Lewis County up to $50,000, with $40,647 going to pay for one or more personnel to assist the Chehalis Municipal Court with case management in its Treatment Court.

An additional $9,353 will be available to pay for more case management if needed by the city. The total $50,000 allocated for the Chehalis Treatment Court is being taken from the city’s non-appropriated budget funds.

Nelson added Lewis County will match the money Chehalis is putting into the program, though the match is not officially written into the interlocal agreement.

“So the city is providing 50%, and then the county, through some state funding, is providing the other 50%,” Nelson said. “... We can ask to modify (the interlocal agreement) … We intentionally left it somewhat vague because it is a brand new program, and we don’t have all the pieces in place yet.”

He anticipates Chehalis Treatment Court, once up and running, to have between 10 and 20 participants in its first year.

Currently, it costs the City of Chehalis $94.27 per day to house someone who has been arrested in jail.

For those who are charged with a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty is 90 days in jail, costing the city $8,484.30 to house an inmate.

For a gross misdemeanor charge, 364 days is the maximum penalty, which can result in $34,314.28 in jail costs for the city.

Though the Lewis County Drug Court continues to operate, only those charged with felonies are eligible to participate. Chehalis Municipal Court only processes those charged with misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors.

Nelson explained that, currently, while Chehalis Municipal Court can require treatment as part of sentencing, the city lacks the resources to ensure people actually get it.

“In many cases, the problem is that they don’t even know how to get the treatment. They’re people who are from out of the area or they have conditions that prevent them from being able to do this on their own,” Nelson said. “The idea is we provide some support to get them out of this cycle that they’re in.”

The Chehalis City Council voted unanimously to officially sign and enter into the interlocal agreement with Lewis County for the Treatment Court program, which will mirror the county’s Drug Court.

Lewis County Drug Court was created in 2004 and is a voluntary program for addicts charged with a felony, according to Drug Court Program Manager Stephanie Miller.

The program targets offenders with a poor prognosis for success on their own, and aids them with structure and support using a three-phase recovery program. Drug Court lasts a minimum of 16 months with most participants graduating after 19 to 22 months.

To graduate, a Drug Court participant must have a full-time job and stable housing, complete recommended treatment, be clean for at least six months and in the program for at least 16 months, have a sober mentor and pay any court-ordered fines and restitution stemming from their case, according to Miller.

Once someone graduates from Drug Court, their charges are dismissed.

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Editor’s note: Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman is also an attorney for The Chronicle  in his private practice.