THOMSON, Ill. — Update Wednesday, Sept. 11: AFGE Local Union 4070 Jon Zumkehr said another staff member at FCI Thomson was administered Narcan after an "exposure" while searching a cell. The incident happened Wednesday.
This is the third exposure incident reported by the union since a similar incident on Aug. 18. After the second alleged exposure on Sept. 2, the prison was placed on lockdown. This remains in effect until further notice.
News 8 has reached out to prison leadership regarding the incident and is waiting to hear back.
Previous reporting on Sept. 2 incident:
FCI Thomson was locked down after a prison worker was hospitalized following an exposure to what is believed to be amphetamines.
According to AFGE Local Union 4070, which represents Thomson's prison workers, the employee was exposed on Monday, Sept. 2. The worker was given a dose of Narcan and hospitalized following the event. The incident comes just two weeks after another employee required a dose of Narcan to be treated after being exposed to an unknown substance.
The lockdown will remain in effect until further notice.
News 8 received the following statement from an FCI Thomson official on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
We can confirm yesterday around noon, employees working at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Thomson in Thomson, Illinois, identified a suspicious substance while conducting a search in a housing unit, and one employee came into contact with it. The incarcerated individuals were secured in their housing units, and the institution was placed on modified operational status.
The employee who came into contact with the substance was transported to a local hospital for possible exposure and has since been released. No one else was injured.
An internal investigation is ongoing.
At no time was the public in danger.
Thomson currently houses 2,048 inmates, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. The federal prison has been riddled with controversy over the years, including hundreds of alleged attacks on staff members and issues over retention pay for employees. You can find News 8's coverage on Thomson here.