Prestonsburg police arrest man on drug trafficking charges hours after officer saved overdose victim

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - Prestonsburg police arrested a man on drug trafficking charges Tuesday just hours after one of their officers saved a woman from an overdose.

Prestonsburg 911 received a call Tuesday about a woman dumped out of a car at the Tiger Mart convenience store in Prestonsburg. When Prestonsburg Fire and Police arrived, they found the woman unresponsive.

Patrolman Jacob Chaffins and his trainee arrive to help the woman. Chaffins, with a background as a firefighter and EMT, then notified the 911 center that he believed the woman was overdosing. Chaffins then gave the woman Narcan and stayed with her until an ambulance arrived.

When she regained consciousness, she told Prestonsburg Police officers that she and three men had come to a local motel and bought fentanyl-laced heroin. After using the drug, the woman overdosed and was left in the convenience store parking lot. Officers are searching for the three other men and their car.

Officers then discovered Phillip Burgin of Johnson County, wanted for fleeing parole, was at the local motel and had sold the drugs to the victim. He was considered armed and dangerous, and a flight risk. Burgin also had his two children in the motel room with him.

Officers obtained a search warrant and searched the room. They found heroin, meth, individual baggies, scales and three cell phones. Burgin also tried to destroy evidence when officers announced their presence.

Burgin was arrested within five hours of the original overdose call, and was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance - meth, trafficking in a controlled substance, heroin, wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, promoting contraband, possession of drug paraphernalia, and persistent felony offender. He was taken to the Floyd County Detention Center.

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