An Avalon woman died this past weekend, possibly as a result of a drug overdose.
A council member said heroin activity had increased recently at the Tuesday, Feb. 18, Avalon City Council meeting.
“On February 16, 2014 at 8:10 a.m., deputies, Fire Department personnel, and paramedics responded to the 100 block of Metropole Avenue regarding a possible drug overdose,” wrote Capt. Doug Fetteroll in an email about last Sunday’s death. Fetteroll commands the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
An Avalon woman died this past weekend, possibly as a result of a drug overdose.
A council member said heroin activity had increased recently at the Tuesday, Feb. 18, Avalon City Council meeting.
“On February 16, 2014 at 8:10 a.m., deputies, Fire Department personnel, and paramedics responded to the 100 block of Metropole Avenue regarding a possible drug overdose,” wrote Capt. Doug Fetteroll in an email about last Sunday’s death. Fetteroll commands the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
“Paramedics found Jacqueline Reed, FW(female white)/31, a resident of Avalon, in full arrest. They transported her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide detectives responded to the scene and will handle the investigation. Preliminary information indicates that drug use was a factor, but the actual cause of death will be determined by the Coroner’s Office,” Fetteroll wrote.
“This was a tragic case as it involved a young lady who was part of the Island community and loved by everyone who shared in her life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family during this difficult time,” Fetteroll wrote.
Council Member Ralph Morrow raised the subject during council discussion about renewing the city’s law enforcement contract with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
“There’s a situation in Avalon here right now where we’ve had some heroin usage, some extreme heroin usage, and someone heard died of an overdose not too long ago,” Morrow said, apparently referring to Reed’s death.
Morrow said he was hearing a lot of complaints in town about heroin.
Morrow said Avalon’s contract with the Sheriff’s Department called for one deputy on the street every day. The city uses grant money to pay for additional deputies when there is a need for them.
Morrow said the department had a huge narcotics bureau and the contract allowed the narcotics unit to supplement the services of Avalon’s deputies.
Sgt. Don Thompson, of the Contract Law Enforcement Bureau, confirmed that was in the contract.
Morrow said the Avalon community complained about drugs in 1988 and the Sheriff’s Department responded by issuing warrants and dragging people out of their homes.
He said dealers feel like they’re safe here because there’s not much going on.
Morrow encouraged the public to contact council members if they knew anything. He promised that council members would keep the confidence of anyone who spoke to them.
Morrow said that every time he went to the sheriff with the name of a suspect, the Sheriff’s Department knew the name. But the Sheriff’s Department had to build a case.
Morrow said there has been a roar coming out of the community for the last few weeks.
Thompson said Fetteroll was aware of the problem and had a handle on it.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Morrow said that while he was walking to the boat top the mainland, he was stopped by several people about the drug problem.
Morrow said he raised the subject at the council meeting because he wanted to “put the fear of God” into the dealers.
“We’ve had drug problems here for years,” Morrow said.
According to Morrow, Avalon goes through cycles of drug use.
“We’re in for a nasty cycle right now,” he said.
“We’re going to get a lot of attention now from the Sherrif’s Department,” Morrow said.
According to Morrow, the Sheriff’s Department cherishes its law enforcement contracts with cities.
Sgt. Thompson said the department had contracts to provide law enforcement services to 42 cities.
He said the young woman’s death—another apparent reference to Jacqueline Reed—set the town on fire.
Morrow said the VFW would be meeting with Fetteroll Thursday night, Feb. 20, to discuss reviving the neighborhood watch program.
Council Member Michael Ponce, a member of the CHOICES board of directors, said the question of drugs needs to be investigated.
Ponce said drug use has always been a problem on the island.
“We have to find a way of turning this around and, yes, it’s very harmful,” Ponce said.
He also said CHOICES was seeing kids being effected by drugs at a younger age—using them or having parents abusing them.
Morrow said there are people in Avalon who know the names of everyone selling drugs. But the Sheriff’s Department has to establish probable cause in order to make an arrest. Morrow said the issue was personal and serious to everyone in Avalon. He said members of the Hispanic community come here to get away from the drug cartels. But according to Morrow, they have not escaped that aspect of the problem.
“You’ve got members of cartels living here,” Morrow said.
The council voted unanimously to extend its contract with the Sheriff’s Department, even though the actual cost of the contract is not yet known because the rates are set by the office of the auditor/controller. Those figures have not yet been released, according to Sgt. Thompson.
City Manager Ben Harvey said the cost could increase by as much as 4 percent.
