3 Deputies In Quarantine After Doing CPR On Man With Coronavirus

THONOTOSASSA, FL — Three Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies have been placed on a 14-day quarantine after performing life-saving efforts on a Thonotosassa man over the weekend who tested positive for the coronavirus.

At 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, deputies were dispatched to a home in Thonotosassa for a report of a person down. After arriving ahead of paramedics and finding the man unconscious, three deputies worked together to revive him.

They performed CPR, followed by the use of an Automated External Defibrillator machine. Deputies administered one dose of Narcan to the man after learning from a relative that he had taken heroin at the home that night. The man was transported to a local hospital for treatment of an overdose.

Test results from the hospital showed the man had pneumonia and family members said that he had been complaining about not feeling well for the past week. He was tested for the coronavirus and the results came back positive.

Due to the close contact the three deputies had with him, they have each been placed on quarantine and will be monitored for symptoms of the virus.

Sheriff Chad Chronister is in contact with all three deputies.

"We are dealing with an unprecedented and unpredictable threat, but as law enforcement officers, we will always run towards danger to save lives," said Chronister. "We don't take our responsibilities lightly, and we are working to fulfill our duties amid the coronavirus in the safest way possible. This is an instance where three brave deputies jumped into action, putting their own safety second to the life of another, however, all of our deputies have been equipped with the tools they need for protection, including masks and gloves."

At this time, no Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies have tested positive for the coronavirus.