Drug Take Back
SHERMAN COUNTY SHERIFF TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
April 26 at the Sheriff’s Office
Goodland Kansas– On April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sheriff Burton Pianalto, Goodland Elks and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to Sherman County Sheriff’s Office at 813 Broadway, Goodland Kansas. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Sheriff Burton Pianalto and the Goodland Elks will be in the Sheriff’s Office parking lot to accept your free and anonymous drop off. Sheriff Pianalto says “It is important to keep the drugs out of the hand of the Youth and individuals that may sell these drugs”. You can contact the Sheriff’s Office if you have any questions at 785-890-4835
Last October, Americans turned in 324 tons (over 647,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,114 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its seven previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 3.4 million pounds—more than 1,700 tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” (that is, a patient or their family member or pet owner) of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.
EMS responds to Sherman County Bastille January 22nd 2014
On the 22nd of January 2014 EMS was summoned to the Sherman County Bastille for an inmate in medical distress. Upon arrival they transported the prisoner, Brenda Sewell 58 year old female from Kansas City Missouri, to Goodland Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. At this time as is typical in cases like this the investigation was immediately turned over to an outside agency. Currently the Goodland Police Department is investigating and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been notified. The prisoner was arrested on the 20th of January 2014 by the Kansas Highway Patrol. No further comments will be made pending the results of autopsy and outside investigation.
Update January 24, 2014
The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office believes that proper procedure was followed in the confinement, treatment and care of Brenda Sewell. There is an independent investigation taking place into the death of Ms. Sewell and we will fully cooperate in that investigation and let the investigation run its course. At this time the Sheriff’s Office will have no further comment.
2nd Search Warrant from Narcotics investigations January 15th, 2014
For the second time in three days the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office and Goodland Police Department along with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation have served a narcotics related search warrant in Sherman County.
In the morning hours of January 15, 2014 officers and deputies developed information that illegal drugs were allegedly being sold from an address on the 400 Block of Cherry in Goodland. Subsequently a search warrant was issued and executed on the residence. The male occupant of the residence was arrested and transported to the Sherman County Bastille. This search warrant is part of the recent counter drug effort being conducted by local law enforcement.
Sheriff Pianalto said, “This continued effort is by no means over, we will continue to make every effort to eradicate illegal drugs from our community.”
Narcotics investigations Produces a Search warrant. January 14th, 2014
On Saturday, January 11, 2014 the Goodland Police Department and Sherman County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the 500th block of West 9th St. This warrant was in reference to information indicating that illegal narcotics were being sold from this residence. Officers and Deputies located various drug paraphernalia and illegal narcotics during the search warrant. Two individuals were arrested in connection with the search warrant.
This operation was part of a larger counter-drug effort currently being conducted by local law enforcement agencies. Chief Couch of the Goodland Police Department said “we are proud to work with our colleagues at the Sheriff’s Office to help address this problem affecting our jurisdictions. We will continue working to make Goodland a horrible place for drug dealers to operate.”
Sheriff Burton Pianalto said “Our main focus has been the dealers of illegal drugs including Methamphetamine, Diverted Prescription Medication, and Marijuana. These individuals prey on the addicted to make money. Cooperation between the public and Law Enforcement is vital to building successful case against these predators. A note about Marijuana: The Law has not changed in Kansas; you cannot possess marijuana of any Quantity. Once you cross that state line, Kansas Law applies, Not Colorado’s.”
Release produced by Chief of Police Clifton Couch
Narcotics investigations yields 18 arrest warrants. January 10th 2014
On January 10, 2014 a joint law enforcement operation came to a close in Goodland, Sherman County Kansas. The joint investigation has been ongoing for the past 6 months where members of the joint operation, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Sherman County Sheriff’s Office, and the Goodland Police Department, conducted an extensive investigation into the distribution and possession of illegal narcotics to include marijuana and methamphetamine.
The culmination of the six month investigation resulted in the issuance of 18 arrest warrants for individuals living in and around Goodland for felony offenses associated with the distribution and possession of illegal drugs. As a result of the joint efforts, fifty percent of the issued warrants have been executed and efforts are continuing to bring the remaining balance to a logical conclusion.
Due to ongoing efforts no names are being released, pending their first appearance in Sherman County District Court.
Release produced by Special Agent in Charge Kelly Ralston, KBI