SPOKANE VALLEY — Detectives from the Spokane Valley Police Department, working with the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, arrested a Stevens County woman on December 3 in connection with a fentanyl exposure incident that left a toddler hospitalized.

Authorities arrested Briana Smutz near North Argonne Road and Grace Road in Spokane Valley after investigators with the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office Proactive Narcotic Enforcement Task Force identified her location the previous day. The arrest was made without incident.

Smutz was wanted on a Stevens County Superior Court felony warrant for several charges, including Assault of a Child in the Third Degree – Domestic Violence – Position of Trust – Vulnerable Victim; Abandonment of a Dependent Person in the First Degree – Domestic Violence – Position of Trust – Vulnerable Victim; and Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act for Possession with Intent to Deliver Fentanyl.

The charges stem from an incident in which a two-year-old child was reportedly exposed to fentanyl pills belonging to Smutz. According to investigators, the child began showing signs consistent with a fentanyl overdose. Emergency responders administered Narcan and rushed the toddler by ambulance from Loon Lake to a Spokane-area hospital for further treatment.

Officials say Smutz left the scene before law enforcement arrived and did not remain with the child, prompting the search that led to her arrest.

The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force includes federal, state, and local partners from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Their mission focuses on locating and arresting some of the most dangerous fugitives in the region.

Anyone with information related to similar cases is encouraged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office or the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Tips can also be submitted online at usmarshals.gov/tips.