A resident of an Akron halfway house was charged Tuesday with bringing drugs into the facility after he and three other men suffered seizures as a result of accidental drug overdoses, officials said.
Police charged Kerry E. Boyer, 37, of Akron, with illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility, resisting arrest and two counts of drug possession. The three other men — Rodney L. Davis, 25, of Akron; John A. Syroid, 33, of Clinton; and Jake Johnson, 29, of Stow — were charged with parole violations. Boyer does not face a parole violation charge, but officials said a charge may be filed soon.
The four men were transitioning from prison custody at the Terrence Mann Residential Center, an East Glenwood Avenue halfway house. The facility is operated by Oriana House, a nonprofit agency that provides substance abuse treatment and community corrections services, meaning residents of its facilities can come and go.
Boyer had served about five years in federal prison on charges of having heroin with intent to distribute and maintaining a premises for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing and using heroin.
According to state prison records, Davis was on parole after serving time for domestic violence; Syroid for drug possession and attempted illegal conveyance; and Johnson for burglary, theft and drug possession.
All four men were transferred to area hospitals for treatment. They were later taken into police custody and are at the Summit County Jail awaiting court proceedings.
Police reported the overdoses occurred at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, when they were alerted by Oriana House staff that the men were acting erratically. Akron paramedics responded.
After the overdoses, Oriana House restricted the ability for Terrence Mann residents to leave except for work and medical appointments. Staff also completed rigorous searches and drug tests on the residents.
Oriana House officials said the men overdosed on a “synthetic marijuana” product known as K2, which is made from a mix of chemicals and has very little or no marijuana contents. Synthetic marijuana can produce a similar high to cannabis but is harder to detect with drug tests because its formulas keep changing.
While natural marijuana cannot cause serious, life-threatening medical problems if taken in excess, synthetic marijuana can cause severe overdoses and other “unpredictable” effects, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Tuesday’s overdoses mirror a similar incident in January at the Summit County Community Based Correctional Facility, which also is run by Oriana House. In that case, six men were transported to hospitals from the East Crosier Street facility.
Christina Deibel, an Oriana House spokesperson, said it’s expected that some clients will relapse, but it’s unusual to have two overdose incidents so close together.
Deibel said Oriana House staff is working with police to determine how the drugs were brought into the facility. She said residents have gotten creative in their methods to sneak in contraband.
“Because we’re community corrections, all our clients are coming and going,” she said. “Drugs are getting into prisons and jails, where inmates aren’t coming or going — so imagine our challenges.”
She said it’s a priority to determine how the drugs were brought in.
“We always try to figure that out because it helps us prevent it next time,” Deibel said.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.