Kibler: Heroin Use a Problem in Effingham County

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said, as is the case elsewhere in Illinois, heroin use is an ongoing problem in the county.

Kibler told those gathered for a community forum at Effingham City Hall that, "we have come to the realization that the heroin problem, the opiate problem, is here, that it's causing several deaths every year, probably more than 100 overdoses every year, and we're just a community of 34,000."

Kibler added, "We're a good community, one of the better places in Illinois, and we're still having a heroin problem."

Participants in the forum included Sgt. Brandon Grzechowiak of District 12 Illinois State Police and Investigator Tony Stephens of the Effingham Police Department, County Coroner Duane Guffey and Effingham Mayor Merv Gillenwater, himself a retired Illinois State Police investigator.  Hospital Director of Emergency Services Doug Kabbes was unable to attend, but Guffey addressed medical aspects raised in the discussion.

The forum is the first of several that the State's Attorney's office plans to hold.