Lincoln police express concern over recent drug overdose deaths

Lincoln police expressed concern Monday over multiple suspected drug overdoses that took place over the weekend.

Friday morning 21–year old Leah Johnson of Lincoln was rushed from the Luxury Inn in Northwest Lincoln to the hospital, where she died Sunday.

The second happened Saturday afternoon in the Haymarket’s Mariott hotel.

Two men were found unresponsive in a room.

49–year old Craig Haynes of Lincoln later died.

The other man is expected to survive after rescue crews used Narcan to save him.

“My first suspicion is that it is heroine, which is a respiratory suppression, and that is most often in use when it leads to death,” said Topher Hansen, CEO/President of CenterPointe.

CenterPointe helps people suffering from mental health and substance use disorders.

He says people with substance abuse problems are also often dealing with mental health issues.

“CenterPointe served about 3,000 people last year and about 75 to 80 percent of those people had both a mental health and a substance abuse problem,” said Hansen.

Hansen says alcohol and meth are the most common drugs people seek treatment for.

But warns that the rise of a powerful opiate, fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroine, is also to blame for a lot of overdoses resulting in death.

“Fentanyl is being laced into not only heroin, but they’ve seen it in marijuana and other things. If heroine is here, fentanyl is here, it’s a super-turbo heroine,” said Hansen.

CenterPointe offers more than 35 programs in the areas of crisis response, treatment, rehab, housing and peer support.

If you know a loved one who is struggling, Hansen says to express love and concern, not judgment.

“There is no health without brain health, and this organ, just like all the organs in our body, get sick,” said Hansen.

LPD is investigating both deaths.

He offers a warning for those who may be thinking about using illicit drugs.

“If you are taking meth, cocaine, heroine, fentanyl, any of those kinds of things that are not prescribed by a doctor, it is risky, and it could lead to hospitalization or even death in a couple of these circumstances,” said LPD Chief Bliemeister.

The toxicology results are pending to see what drugs were used.

If you’d like to learn more about CenterPointe, head to https://www.centerpointe.org.