Fake oxycodone, MDMA seized after a 6-mile pursuit on Interstate 41
TOWNSHIP OF FOND DU LAC - A thousand fake oxycodone pills and MDMA were seized after a pursuit Monday in the township of Fond du Lac, according to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies pulled over an unidentified Wisconsin man on a traffic stop on Interstate 41 near West Johnson Street. The man drove away, leading to a 6-mile chase on Interstate 41. Police called off the pursuit, but moments later, first responders were dispatched to a crash involving that same vehicle on Interstate 41 near Fond du Lac County N.
They found the man, who was running away from the scene. After first responders evaluated his medical condition, he was arrested "without incident," authorities said.
Deputies and K-9 units searched the area and the crashed vehicle and found more than 1,000 fake oxycodone pills as well as MDMA. Police say the fake pills tested positive for fentanyl on the scene.
The man, who has prior convictions for drug distribution, faces drug-related charges and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The sheriff's office did not say what city the man was from, nor what time the pursuit took place. However, they publicly announced the arrest shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.
According to provisional data released in July 2022 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70,000 Americans died of overdoses on fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in 2021. Of those deaths, 1,280 were in Wisconsin, prompting Wisconsin's Department of Health Services to issue a public advisory in August 2022.
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Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac County sheriff seizes fake oxy, MDMA after I-41 pursuit
