Inhalant Abuse

Teen Crashes Into House

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:37:00 +0000

From WFIE News in Kentucky

Police suspect that the 17-year-old driver who lost control of her car and crashed into a house yesterday in a Daviess County, Kentucky subdivision was abusing inhalants. The driver and her 16-year-old passenger were taken to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Police have charged the teen with driving while under the influence and speeding. Additional charges are expected to be filed following a full police investigation.

New Inhalant Data from Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:25:00 +0000

From the McMinnville News-Register in Oregon:

The Dayton Together Coalition for a Drug-free Community recently released inhalant related data:

“Current statistics show that by 13 years of age, 14 percent of youths have sniffed inhalants”

Thieves Target Dental Offices

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:25:00 +0000

From ABC 4 News in Salt Lake City, Utah

Police are investigating a string of unusual burglaries in Salt Lake City. According to news reports five dental offices have been robbed in the area over the past few weeks, with thieves stealing canisters of nitrous oxide, (also known as ‘laughing gas’) painkillers, and other miscellaneous drugs. Police are on the lookout for at least two men they believe have a small cache of drugs and nitrous and are urging residents to keep their eyes peeled for large canisters of gas. Police continue to investigate.

Remember Jacob's Smile...

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:12:00 +0000

My name is Gail and I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be writing this story. No parent ever wants to write about their child's death. I pray every day that no other parent ever has to write a story about the death of their- child.

On May 18,2008 the Henry family celebrated the graduation of their son, Jacob Albert Henry, age 18. We had a big party at our home with all the aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Aunt Linda made dishes from the Philippines and other American food was provided. A good friend of Aunt Carol's made the cakes. Everything was delicious. There was fun for everyone.
Jacob was grateful for the gifts of money he received. The money was needed for expenses when he went to college in June 2008.
Jacob made friends easily. His grandma always said that Jacob never met a stranger. He was kind to everyone and loved family, friends, our dogs (Dusty, Xerox, Jazz) football, video games, music (Saxophones), Civil War History and Indian Lore. Jacob moved to Evansville the end of May to live with his Grandma. He planned to attend college at Madison Media Institute (MMI) in Madison, Wisconsin. I never saw Jacob as excited as he was about starting school at MMI. He started classes at MMI on June 2, 2008. He enjoyed school and was well liked by his classmates, the staff and teachers. Jacob made many good friends during his short time at MMI. He really enjoyed his classes.

I received phone calls most everyday telling me what he had done in his classes that day. The phone call I remember the most is the day he called and was so excited he almost reached through the telephone wires, In one of his classes, Jacob had the opportunity to play a vintage bass saxophone brought in by Mr. Hanah, his instructor. Jacob loved his saxophones. He had played all the different saxophones in high school, except the Bass. Playing that Bass Sax was a dream come true for him. After Jacob's death I talked to his high school band teacher. She told me that Jacob had asked her many times if the school could get a Bass Sax, She told him no because that they were very expensive and there wouldn't be a Bass Sax at school. Jacob told me that he played the Bass and he was so nervous he was hardly able to play. He talked for a long time about how he was chosen to play the Bass. He also told me the Bass Sax he played was only one of ten in the U.S.A. That moment was very special to him.

He was having trouble with some of his classes so he was signed up to work with a tutor. He went to his first class and that afternoon he called me like most days and told me that the things he was having trouble with were clear to him now. He was excited about going back the following week but he never returned to that tutoring class. We were in the process of moving from Northern Wisconsin, where Jacob grew up, to Evansville, Wisconsin. We would be closer to Jacob and we planned to bring some more things down that weekend. Jacob's dad worked in Illinois so he just drove up to Evansville that Friday night. I would travel down from our home on Saturday.

When my husband arrived at the house on Friday night, Jacob wasn't home which wasn't too shocking because he spent a lot of time at the pool with his friends. Jacob never came home Friday night. We were all worried and shocked at the same time. It wasn't like Jacob not to call whenever he was gone for a long time he would call. I called his cell phone many times on Saturday without an answer. I didn't know it was sitting on his nightstand. That was strange because that phone seemed to be attached to some part of his body all the time. I arrived at mom's around noon on Saturday and Jacob was still not home.

We really started to worry because this wasn't right. He always called when he wasn't coming home to let us know where he was and when he would be home. We drove around looking in the park and around town asking kids if they had seen him and when. We even drove out of town thinking he may have gone someplace with someone that had a car. We spent lots of time calling the numbers on his cell phone thinking maybe one of them would know where he was.

On Saturday afternoon around 3 pm we called the Evansville Police Department. The officer came to the house and we filled out a missing persons report. The officer asked us questions and looked in his room. My husband told the officer that when he arrived on Friday evening Jacob's X-Box was on "Pause". To us that meant that someone had knocked on the door to drag him away from playing his game. When he was playing the video games nothing could drag him away from them. The Officer later returned with a copy of the report that went out to other police departments. Waiting for any news was a torture I never want to go through again.
We were talking about where he could be. My mom said something about the neighbor's sunroom door being unlocked. Jacob told her about it earlier that week because he had accidentally opened it. I thought what the heck I might as well check it out so I walked out of our sunroom door over to the neighbors who had recently moved. I opened the door and looked inside hoping that maybe Jacob had gone in and fell asleep. I didn't see anything.

I turned to walk back and met my husband coming out of the door. We saw Jacob at the same time. He was lying by the air conditioner behind my mom's apartment. We both yelled his name and ran over to him. My husband got there first and shook him. He turned to me and said," He is dead, go call the police". Jacob had a black plastic bag over his head. My husband ripped it open and walked away. I went to tell my mom that Jacob was dead and called 911. I told the police that I had filled out a missing persons report on him earlier and that we had found him dead outside my mom's apartment. When I saw him lying with that black plastic bag over his head my thought was that he had killed himself but I couldn't believe that he would do that. However I had heard earlier from his cousin that he was having some problems with some kids teasing him. It was really bothering him.

The police came to the house and started an investigation that would shock all of us in many ways. The officer told me something that I never thought I would hear about our son. The police officer told us that they thought Jacob was "huffing freon". I had never heard of such a thing. I looked at the officer and told him straight out that someone have had to shown him how to do that because there was no way he would thought of that on his own. It had been a problem around Evansville. The officer knew there had been 3 different kids sent to the hospital because of the huffing of freon. He told us that it does one of three things:
It will get you high as intended
It will freeze your lungs and send you to the hospital
It will KILL you

At that time the Rock County Detective came into the house and talked to the family including my brother and his wife. They asked us questions about Jacob such as what kind of a kid was he? When we last saw him? What time we last talked to him? I made it clear during that questioning that someone had to have shown him how to do that because " There is NO way" that he would have thought of that himself. They told us that they thought Jacob had laid there since sometime Friday.

On Sunday we received a phone call from a friend of Jacob's. She told me the names of two boys that she said had shown him this deadly high. I immediately called the Rock County Detective and informed him of this new development. They had to look for the boys but finally found them and talked to them. The two boys admitted that they did in fact show Jacob how to huff freon. When the detective told me this I was shocked to think that someone would show others how to do something that could possibly kill them. The most shocking thing is that the detective told us that there was nothing they could do to the boys because they denied they were with him that day. We found out a few days later that one of the boys was caught showing a 13 year old girl how to huff freon. These two boys are out showing other peoples children how to do this deadly thing and nothing is being done about it by our law enforcement.

Since Law enforcement isn't able or willing to protect our children, we as parents have to be their guardians. Please talk to your children; make sure they know just what freon can do to them. Huffing anything can KILL you. Our family still doesn't believe that Jacob was alone that day. I will close this with something that a dear friend said at Jacob's funeral. This touched me so much because it was truly Jacob as you can see in his picture.

"Remember Jacob's Smile And Carry It With You In Your Heart".

New Inhalant Data from Tennessee

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0000

From the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee:

The results of the 2008 Knox County Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey were recently released. The survey, given for the first time to more than 1,000 students in 14 schools, measured behaviors in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

The survey revealed that 8.6% of the students had abused inhalants.

Another Aerosol Arrest

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:07:00 +0000

From The Palm Beach Post in Florida

Police arrested a 28-year-old woman earlier this week on charges of “chemical substance possession” after she was caught with two newly purchased cans of aerosol. The woman apparently had a “history of using inhalants to get high” and an extensive criminal record. Police were sent to a local store, where the manager presented officers with a receipt of the woman’s purchases- two cans of aerosol. When questioned by police, the woman admitted to buying the aerosol with the intent to get high. Officers confiscated both cans and issued the woman a subpoena to appear in court.

Unconscious Driver Causes Crash

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

From The Bellingham Herald in Washington

A 20-year-old female has been summoned to appear in court after she caused a three car crash on the night of October 29th. The young woman was allegedly ‘huffing’ computer duster prior to the crash with two female passengers, when she lost consciousness and crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic, striking a pick up truck head on and rear-ending a minivan. Police have cited the 20-year-old on “suspicion of vehicular assault.” No life threatening injuries were reported, but one of the passengers was “ejected from the car, suffered bruising, a 5- to 8-inch gash on her neck, a broken bone and internal injuries.”

Upon further investigation, police have learned that the three females did in fact purchase a can of computer dust remover from a local store prior to the crash- which they ‘huffed’ in a nearby parking lot. One of the female passengers told police she tried to take the can away from the 20-year-old driver; even grabbing the steering wheel in an attempt to navigate through traffic after her friend passed out behind the wheel- “but didn't remember crashing.”

'Huffer' Will Face Prosecution

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:04:00 +0000

From The Intelligencer Online in Pennslyvania

A 26-year-old Pennsylvania man will appear before Bucks County Court later this month on charges of DUI, assault, and fleeing police. Daniel Killion is accused of leading police on a vehicle chase, assaulting a relative, and huffing from a can of computer duster.

According to court documents, “the chase occurred after a female relative of Killion’s caught him huffing computer duster” and called police. “Killion then attacked the woman- who sustained an arm injury,” and fled the scene hoping to get away from police.

A vehicle chase ensued with Killion reportedly swerving in and out of traffic at high speeds. At one point he pulled over and stopped at a local business, only to jump back in his vehicle and speed away, nearly striking several officers. Killion eventually returned to his residence where he surrendered to authorities.

Man Arrested For Selling Whippets

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

From ABC 13 News in Ohio

Police have arrested the owner of a Bowling Green business for selling drug paraphernalia and trafficking in harmful intoxicants. Last weekend several officers raided the business and seized drug paraphernalia along with a supply of nitrous oxide whippets and “crackers”- which are specially designed to open canisters of nitrous oxide.

When questioned by the police, the owner stated that the alleged “whippets” were merely “whipped cream chargers used for baking.” However, several confidential informants were recruited by local police to “go in to the store, purchase items, and speak with the employees about specific merchandise” and their intended use. Informants told police the owner was well aware he was selling items that promoted drug use. The store’s owner is facing three felony charges and up to 18 months in jail for drug trafficking.

Teen Driver Arrested For OWI

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:56:00 +0000

From WEAU News in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

A 19-year-old male was involved in a single car collision early Sunday morning. According to police records, the teen was driving down a local street at around 1:40 a.m. when he crossed oncoming lanes of traffic and crashed into a nearby retaining wall. Police recovered a can of partially full computer keyboard dusting spray from the teen’s vehicle. Authorities are attributing the accident to ‘huffing.’ The driver was transported to a local hospital for head injuries and has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated – OWI.

Teen Jailed For Assault and 'Huffing'

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:03:00 +0000

From The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader in Pennsylvania

An 18-year-old male was arrested on Thursday for allegedly assaulting his mother and younger brother after ‘huffing’ gasoline. The teen has been charged “with two counts of simple assault and harassment, and a single count of illegal use of certain solvents and noxious substances.” He is currently being detained in the county jail.

The teen’s mother told police her son had been inhaling gasoline for much of the day when he assaulted his younger brother and shoved her up against a wall inside their home late last week. The teen is set to appear in court later this week.

Police Investigate Whether 'Dusting' Led To Fatal Crash

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:44:00 +0000

From Southwest Virginia Today in Richlands, Virginia

Police in Wythe County, Virginia are investigating whether “dusting – inhaling cans of compressed gas to get high” is to blame for last weekend’s fatal car crash that left two sisters dead.
Last weekend a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Ashley Paynter crossed the median and struck a pick-up truck killing both women inside, 53-year-old Judy Camper, and 49-year-old April McAllister. After obtaining a warrant to search Paynter’s vehicle, police seized a can of computer dust remover and a straw covered in white powder. Police are now looking into whether Paynter and her 21-year-old passenger Linda Reeves were ‘huffing’ prior to Sunday’s fatal accident.

Wal-mart security tapes reveal Reeves “concealing two cans of propellant [from store cameras] half an hour before the collision took place.” According to court documents, Paynter had been banned from the same Wal-mart earlier in the year after she was caught shoplifting.

Paynter was last listed to be in fair condition at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Her passenger Linda Reeves was treated and released Sunday evening. More details are expected to be released shortly. Visit WSLS News 10 to view a televised report of the incident.

Inhalants Suspected in Security Guard Death

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:34:00 +0000

From the Livonia Observer in Michigan

Last week a 22 year-old man was found dead. Inhalant abuse is suspected but won’t be confirmed until the medical examiner’s report is completed in about 2 weeks.

The man’s girlfriend called police after he didn’t return home after his shift as a security guard. She drove to the building, found his car still in the office parking lot but she couldn’t locate him.

Police then entered the building and found the man lying on the floor face down next to a can of computer dusting spray. “A security video showed that he had walked into that area alone, crouched down in the cubicle area and never stood up.”

Horses to Help with Inhalant Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

From Sarnia Observer in Sarnia, ON, Canada

Very interesting piece about a 45 year-old mother of two who changed careers in order to help troubled children. She and a friend became certified equine assisted facilitators and started Lambton Equine Assisted Learning, where they run childrens’ therapy camps.

Through their program they work with children “brought to them by parents or through referrals from various social service agencies.” Interestingly, the article notes “In West Lorne, a large number of the kids attend an inhalant addiction centre outside London and have arrived from remote communities in the north.”

More information on the program can be found here

Man Found Inhaling Chemicals

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:58:00 +0000

From the Daily Record in New Jersey

A 48-year-old male was arrested earlier this week after police found him ‘huffing’ toxic chemicals behind a community shopping center. Officers arrived to the scene after receiving several calls about an “intoxicated man” loitering around the premise. Reports reveal that the suspect had been inhaling chemicals and “was in possession of a narcotic analgesic.” Upon further investigation, officers learned that the suspect had two warrants out for his arrest in two nearby counties and placed him in police custody immediately.

Inhalant Data From Massachusetts

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:40:00 +0000

From the MetroWest Daily in Framingham, Massachusetts:

The results of the second Ashland Adolescent Health Survey were recently revealed. At the middle school, 8 percent had abused inhalants.

Police Find Homeless Man 'Huffing' Gas

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:17:00 +0000

From the Tri-County Times in Michigan

Last week Michigan State Police received complainants from a male property owner who claimed “a homeless man had been living on his land since July.” When police arrived to the scene, they found a 25-year-old homeless male “inhaling gasoline fumes from a container next to a makeshift tent” in a heavily wooded area. The homeless man told officers he had been living in the woods since July, after being involved in a car accident. According to reports, the homeless man had not bathed since July and appeared to have infected open wounds on his head. Police transported him to a local hospital for medical assessment.

Woman Jailed For 'Huffing'

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:00 +0000

From KOTA-TV in Rapid City, South Dakota

A 31-year-old Rapid City woman who was arrested last April for “huffing computer duster near her children in a car with the windows closed” will serve six months in jail in addition to two years probation. Witnesses told police they saw the suspect “huffing in her vehicle and pointing the can toward one of the kid's faces.”

Inhalant Data from Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:53:00 +0000

From the Sherwood Gazette in Oregon

Sherwood School District counselors recently released findings from the 2008-09 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey:

2.2% of the students said they had used inhalants

More information on the survey and all the results can be found at dhs.state.or.us/dhs/ph/chs/youthsurvey/ohtdata

Inhalant Data for North Dakota

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:13:00 +0000

From the Dickinson Press in North Dakota

Interesting inhalant-related stats:

19.6% of those surveyed use inhalants at least once in his or her lifetime, as compared to a state average of 11.1%
In a 30-day use period, 8% of those surveyed use inhalants, with the state average sitting at 3.5%

Mother 'Huffs' In Front Of Baby

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

From The Herald-Citizen in Tennessee

The 27-year-old mother who was caught ‘huffing’ computer duster in a Cookeville Wal-mart parking lot last Friday, has been charged with child abuse/neglect, DUI, and inhaling a toxic substance. According to police reports, officers found the woman unconscious behind the wheel of a running car- clutching a can of dust remover with a 16-month-old child in the back seat.

Police were notified of the incident early Friday afternoon after receiving complaints of a “lady in the parking lot sitting in a vehicle with the engine running, snorting a can of dust remover.” When officers arrived they found the suspect slumped over and unresponsive to the cries of her young son. According to reports the suspect awoke abruptly, took two more ‘huffs’ of the duster, and began trying to release the car’s brake to drive away. The suspect displayed visible signs of impairment via her red watery eyes, slurred speech, and delayed motor movements.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital for examination before being placed into police custody. She will appear in court November 2nd. The 16-month-old baby sustained no injuries from the incident and has since been turned over to the care of responsible family members by the Department of Children’s Services.

Man Violates Probation

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:10:00 +0000

From HomeTownLife.com in Michigan

A 20-year-old male was ticketed for “suspicion of inhaling chemical agents” last week in suburban Detroit when officers found the suspect “slouched over on a bench” and visibly inebriated outside of a local furniture store. The suspect was reportedly on probation at the time of the incident.

Upon further questioning, officers spotted a can of dust remover that was half empty inside the suspect’s unzipped black jacket. “The suspect was also carrying an inhaler in his jacket, which he later told police he used to control his asthma.” The 20-year-old was ticketed for violating the terms of his probation and is expected to appear in district court next week.

Defense Claims 'Huffing' Led to Murder

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:18:00 +0000

From The Record Searchlight in Redding, California

A California jury has yet to reach a verdict in the murder trial of 28-year-old Scott Varner, who has admitted to kidnapping and killing a 35-year-old woman nearly four years ago. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Varner, who plead guilty to the November 2005 murder of Jeanette Mariedth reportedly “suffers from severe brain damage as a result of his past drug use,” according to defense attorneys. The defense claims that the plaintiff did “not intend to kill” the victim- citing a long history of inhalant abuse as the culprit behind their client’s impaired mental functioning and irrational behavior. Varner began ‘huffing’ inhalants when he was just 12 years old. Jurors have yet to reach a conclusion as to the validity of the defense’s claims.

Inhalant Data from Massachusetts

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:37:00 +0000

From the Norton Mirror in Raynham, Massachusetts

Inhalant related data from a survey administered to Norton middle and high school students in June, 2009:

5.2 percent of the middle school students report having used an inhalant in the past 30 days

Driver Arrested For Sniffing Duster

noreply@blogger.com (ACE News) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:37:00 +0000

From The Hingham Journal in Massachusetts

On October 7th Police were dispatched to a local intersection after receiving reports that a man was passed out in a vehicle alongside the road. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found a 29-year-old male extremely disoriented and clutching a can of dust remover. Officers were able to coax the man into an ambulance.

The 29-year-old reportedly admitted to “sniffing from the can” and was exhibiting common symptoms related to excessive inhalant use. The man was arrested for “operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, operating a vehicle to endanger, and operating a vehicle with an open bottle of alcohol in the car.”