PORTLAND, Ore. — A man was sentenced to four years in prison after 2-year-old daughter overdosed twice from accidentally consuming fentanyl.
Bret Mitchell Hollmann pled guilty on Thursday for third-degree assault and unlawful possession of a substantial quantity of Schedule II controlled substance, the Washington County District Attorney's Office said.
In March, Hollmann and his fiancé, Megan Elizabeth Meek, went to drop their daughter off at a babysitter after smoking fentanyl pills that Hollmann purchased, the news release said. On the way, Meek had placed her bag that contained multiple fentanyl pills in the backseat within reach of the toddler, who gained access and swallowed several pills.
When they arrived at the babysitter, they realized the child was overdosing on fentanyl. When police arrived, the child was "unconscious not breathing, and had no detectable pulse." Hollmann told the officers that his daughter has swallowed fentanyl pills and needed her stomach pumped.
Officers gave the child two doses of Narcan, saving the girl's life. While on the way to the hospital, the child overdosed again "due to the sheer amount" of fentanyl in her system. Hospital staff needed to place the child on a Narcan drip for a full day to keep her alive, according to the news release.
Hollmann told officers he had purchased the fentanyl pills. He was also later caught smoking additional fentanyl at the hospital while his daughter was on a Narcan drip.
“This case is yet one more reason, in a long and growing list of reasons, why lawmakers need to fix Oregon’s drug addiction and decriminalization crisis,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton. “I am hopeful the legislature takes immediate action to fix Measure 110 in a way that will produce results in our communities and save lives.”
Following his prison sentence, Hollmann has been ordered to undergo supervised drug treatment.
Meek is scheduled to stand trial in April.
