Williamson County Sheriff’s Office joins federal law enforcement in fentanyl task force

Williamson County joins fentanyl task force

Local officials are ramping up efforts to address the recent rise in fentanyl overdoses. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is joining with other law enforcement to form the Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Team.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Local officials are ramping up efforts to address the recent rise in fentanyl overdoses. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is joining with other law enforcement agencies to form the Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Team.

"We have to understand that we're working with a poison right now and our kids are being poisoned," Stefanie Turner, who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning and founded Texas Against Fentanyl, said.

Nineteen-year-old Cameron Stewart and 19-year-old Tucker Roe were killed by fentanyl.

"Sadly, our group is growing way, way, way too big, too quickly. I've said it before and I'll always say it, I love our entire angel network of families, but I wish I'd never met any of them," Becky Stewart, who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning and founded A Change for Cam, said.

The boys’ mothers are now dedicated to education others about the dangers of fentanyl.

They’re also working with the Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Team which included the DEA, Department of Homeland Security, National Guard, and other law enforcement agencies.

"There are a lot of powerful agencies involved in this and hopefully everybody joining together as a massive force can make a big difference," Stewart said.

Abbott signs fentanyl-related bills into law

Gov. Abbott signed four pieces of fentanyl-related legislation into law on Wednesday, including one bill that require fentanyl education in Texas schools, and another that prosecutes fentanyl-related deaths as murder.

FENTANYL IN CENTRAL TEXAS

The purpose of the unit is to educate the public about fentanyl, prosecute those accused of distributing the drug, and offering rehabilitation services to community members.

"The law enforcement part will be crucial to understand how do we work these cases and how do we get those who are in need help and then the recovery part will be getting those who are struggling with substance use disorder help."

Last year, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office received almost 400 calls to respond to fentanyl overdoses. In Travis County, 245 fentanyl-related overdoses were reported last year which is 58% from the year before.

"Having this force to be able to hopefully narrow that gap to where people realize it could happen to my child, it could happen to my sister, brother, because it knows no bounds. It does not discriminate fentanyl is, is in everything nowadays," Stewart said.

They said it’s important for parents and children to be educated on this deadly substance.

"There are kids going out for the first time experimenting and losing their lives, taken one substance for the very first time in their lives and it's got to stop somewhere. It's got to stop. It's super scary to know just how rampant it is," Stewart said.

Last month, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3908, also known as Tucker’s Law, requiring education in public schools relating to fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness.

"Our piece of that is obviously to get that into schools, get it into communities and just make a huge network of other angel families that can share their stories and present facts about fentanyl. Adding a personal story to these presentations and it being right in our own backyards is really, really impactful," Stewart said.