Vienna Police Chief Shannon Thompson reported an incident last Saturday when the Vienna Police Department for the first time seized the drug Fentanyl. 

It was reported the incident occurred on July 30 at about 3:30 p.m. when an off duty Maries County Sheriff’s Deputy reported a possibly impaired person who was seen in a car in the parking lot of the Dollar General store in Vienna. Vienna PD made contact with a male passenger of the car and observed that he appeared to be impaired. The officers located evidence of suspected drug paraphernalia next to the car and other suspected evidence in plain view inside the vehicle. 

The officers arrested, Michael Baroli, 37, and Natalie Baroli, 38, both of Columbia. They were taken to the Maries County Jail.

On July 31, Maries County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Skouby issued formal charges, signed by Judge Kerry Rowden. Each of them was charged with two counts of felony possession of controlled substance, for Fentanyl and methamphetamine, and of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The pair was being held without bond until their first court appearance this week. 

Chief Thompson commented the Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is very dangerous to first responders who encounter it because it is regularly 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and can cause lethal exposure overdoes upon contact.