Inola Police Say Man Died After Buying Fentanyl From Neighbor, Drug Crimes On The Rise

Inola Police arrested a man accused of selling fentanyl to his 35-year-old neighbor, who died after an overdose.

Police say they can’t emphasize it enough: only get drugs from a pharmacy because fentanyl is being found in all types of drugs all across the state.

Inola Police arrested Dale Deerinwater, who’s accused of selling his neighbor a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Inola Police expect him to be charged with murder.

They say because Deerinwater is tribal, it will be either be filed in tribal or federal court.

Officers say drug cases are becoming more common in the past few months, even in small towns like Inola.

"Drug-related overdoses are becoming a major problem, especially with the community of Inola growing,” said Captain Ryan Ragan with Inola Police. “It's becoming more and more that we've had drug-related cases continuing. It's not a surprise that this is happening now, and I don't think this will probably be the last case."

Ragan says when people buy drugs on the streets, they never know what they’re getting.

"Fentanyl is getting mixed into marijuana now, methamphetamine, cocaine, it's becoming more and more oblivious to people,” said Ragan.

He says drug addiction affects people from all walks of life and all income levels all over Green Country.

"It's not only happening in Tulsa, it's happening here,” said Ragan. “I think there's Creek County incidents, Wagoner County incidents. This is going to continue to grow and grow as the years go on. With the community growing, and the drugs continuing to increase, influx the communities around, I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the only case we see."

He hopes people will get the help they need to avoid something like this happening again.

"You have somebody, or you are someone to somebody, whether you're a husband, wife, daughter, son, uncle, or aunt. It continues to grow,” said Ragan. “You're not only hurting you, but you're hurting your family members that you leave behind once you pass."

Inola Police say they’ve seen ten felony drug cases in just the past few months, which is a large increase.