BELFAST — Waldo County law enforcement issued a warning following a rash of overdoses over the weekend, which left two dead, including one man residing at the Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center (MCRRC). 

Justin Henderson, 30, of Burnham, had reached the point in the MCRRC program where he was allowed to work and was at his job at Dockside Family Restaurant at the time of his fatal overdose, police said.

Belfast Police responded to the scene around 1:15 p.m. and administered Narcan to Henderson but were unable to revive him, according to Waldo County Sheriff Jeff Trafton.  

Maine State Police are investigating Henderson’s death. 

Narcan is a prescription medication that is used to reverse the effects of opioid emergencies, such as incidents involving possible overdose. It is carried by area law enforcement and ambulance staff. 

Another MCRRC resident, James Reid, 34, of Augusta, was also present, but he did not require medical intervention, Trafton said. Reid, who was due to be released today, received new charges and was transferred to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset, where he remains. 

A second fatal overdose was reported to Belfast Police by Waldo County General Hospital Saturday after a 50-year-old man was left at the Emergency Room door. The person who drove the man to the hospital took him to the door, rang the bell and left. He was deceased when medical personnel reached him. 

Waldo County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Darrin Moody also responded to the scene of an overdose in Stockton Springs over the weekend, where a 38-year-old man was saved after being revived with the use of Narcan.  

Waldo County General Hospital reported an additional five cases of overdose patients over the same span of time, according to a July 24 joint press release from the WSO and Belfast Police.

Though official results from toxicity screenings will take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to return, Trafton said area law enforcement are worried that there is either an exceptionally potent kind of heroin in the area or heroin that is laced with fentanyl, which is up to 100 times more potent than heroin.  

In the release, area law enforcement wrote: “These incidents may very well be the result of an abnormally high potency of drugs in our area. Because of this information we want the public to be informed of the increase of drug overdose incidents.”

An investigation into where the drugs originated is underway and involves the Sheriff’s Office, Belfast Police, Maine State Police, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“If we can find out who this was, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Trafton said. 

Despite the Waldo County incidents, Trafton said he has not heard of a similar rash of overdoses elsewhere in the state, though he said that each day someone in Maine dies of an overdose. 

Reentry Center staff and residents were shocked about Henderson’s death, Trafton said. He was at a meeting when the incident occurred and that when he returned members of the Reentry Center were in tears over the news. Henderson had reportedly not had any other drug infractions while at the center. 

Trafton said it’s important that the community knows that there is help, including Seaport Community Health Center, which never turns anyone in need away, regardless of financial circumstance, he said.

“We need to be hypervigilant right now,” he said. “We need to save lives.”

Waldo County General Hospital also has medically assisted treatment options and encourages those seeking help to call 338-2500. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com