CPD Clears Up Case of “Tainted Money”

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT –  Social media was abuzz this weekend, as it was widely reported money laced with a harmful drug had been left in the parking lot of a Crockett store, making several people ill after the touched the “tainted money.” Crockett Police Department (CPD) quickly clarified the situation, once they had investigated the incident. 

Their statement read in part:

“On Saturday, Mar. 30, CPD officers responded to a local business after a person called 911, stating they touched an object they thought had fentanyl on it. The person reported feeling their chest and throat tightening after touching the object.

Houston County EMS arrived on scene with officers and assessed the patient, who requested to go to the hospital to be checked out. An investigation into the incident confirmed through toxicology testing the patient did not have fentanyl or any other illicit drugs in their system. 

The object in question was identified as a religious tract that resembled money. Surveillance confirmed the tracts were left behind by a family. The tracts were handled without gloves by numerous people (including the family who left the items behind) before and after the person called 911, and the only one reported having any type of adverse reaction was the caller.

Coincidentally, another patient on scene with a history of seizures experienced a medical episode at about the same time the person called 911 about touching the object. This patient was also taken to the hospital. A later interview with this person confirmed their medical episode was not related to or caused by touching some object.”

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]