Police: Dangerous ‘Gray Death' reaches metro Atlanta

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A new drug called "Gray Death" has been linked to a number of deadly overdoses in the South and it has now hit metro Atlanta. A man was charged with possession of the dangerous drug in Carroll County and investigators said he just barely escaped an overdose death himself.

"Gray Death" is fairly new on the illegal drug market, but law enforcement officials said it is extremely deadly.

A Villa Rica officer spotted what he thought was the fatal drug on the floorboard of a car 47-year-old Kenneth Patterson was driving. Officers said Patterson hit a parked car at the McDonald's on Highway 61 in Villa Rica and was near death.

“From what I am told, he was very bad. He was.... his vital signs were not very good at all,” said Captain Keith Shaddix, Villa Rica Police Department.

Officer Chris Rowan's training kicked into gear. He immediately notified Carroll County firefighters about his suspicions and they administered Narcan.

“It helps counteract the drug, so it reverses the effects of the drug, so in this case, it helped and brought him back,” said Capt. Shaddix.

Paramedics rushed Patterson, who was unconscious at the time, to Tanner Medical's emergency room in Villa Rica.

The Katy, Texas man survived and has been transported to the jail where he faces DUI and felony possession of a controlled substance.

“It's something that is new with us, this is our first case that we have had here,” said Capt. Shaddix. “If they hadn't worked together on this, if you hadn't gotten the information quickly, there is a good chance this person would have died.”

Police said they do not know where Patterson got the drugs.