Blog Report

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Massachusetts Man Arrested for Huffing Chemicals



Via the Fenway-Kenmore Patch in Massachusetts

A man was arrested last week after officers noticed multiple individuals crowded around a vehicle. There were deflated balloons on the ground and two frozen air tanks in the vehicle, which the officers suspect were being used for nitrous oxide huffing. The suspects attempted to close the van and drive away but were stopped by the officers. One man was arrested and charged with possession of intoxicating vapors

Monday, January 28, 2013

Two Inhalant Cases in Indiana

Via the Stacey Page Online in Indiana:


Earlier this month, a 44 year-old and a 26 year-old were arrested in two separate inhalant abuse related incidents.

On January 7th police responded to a call of a man “acting strange.” When they arrived they found the 44 year old male with gold paint on his face “standing at the property line just swaying and staring.” He was transported to the hospital for treatment, a warrant was issued and he was arrested on January 21st.

In the second case, police were called to a residence where the home owner wanted his cousin removed from the property. The cousin was in a tent on the property and was also found with paint on his face. He was charged with huffing and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Tennessee Man Passes Out on Sidewalk After Huffing

Via WREG in Tennessee:


A 26 year-old man passed out after huffing computer cleaner. The clip notes the man had been “picked up for inhalants” previously and it accurately states that he is “lucky to be alive.”

Inhalants Now a Problem in Mexico




Interesting note regarding inhalants in this January 25th piece: 

“Although traditionally associated with kids living on the street who use them to stave off hunger, inhalants are being used by a broader range of young people, not just those living in poverty. In Mexico City, 45% of the 12- to 14-year-olds who had used a controlled substance in the last year had used inhalants”
The article also notes: “In the capital, at-risk youth may start out on cheap inhalants like paint thinner and glue or, increasingly, a certain type of cement, which pushers are now providing with the scents of popular fruits like guava and tamarind, both to mask the smell and attract young consumers.”

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Virginia Man Acts Erratically After Huffing Disinfectant Spray

Via Arl.now in Arlington, Virginia:


Earlier this week police in Arlington, Virginia responded to an incident where an 18 year old man was acting erratically after allegedly huffing a disinfectant spray. The man’s roommates were concerned when he started“hissing, speaking in tongues, shaking uncontrollably, trying to eat coins and had attempted to set his mattress on fire.”

When police arrived the man was “naked and still attempting to eat coins.” He resisted arrest, staying on all fours and growling at the officers, When he was tased, he tried to eat the taser cords. The man voluntarily committed himself for psychiatric evaluation.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Kansas Man Dead After Huffing Duster in Motel Room

Via the Topeka Capital Journal Online in Kansas:


Last Thursday a 40 year old man was found unconscious in a motel room after he had been huffing computer dusting spray. Staff at the motel had requested police check on the man. He was unconscious when police found him but the report notes that his condition “quickly deteriorated” and he died at the hospital. It is suspected he had been huffing from “several” cans of computer dusters and the case is being investigated as an “accidental death/ overdose.”

Huffing Overdose Suspected In Death Of Sacramento Man Found In Parking Lot

Via CBS Sacramento 

A man in his 40s was found dead in his car outside an electronics store in Sacramento.  Spray duster cans were found throughout the car in what appears to be an accidental overdose from huffing duster.


Friday, January 18, 2013

California Man Abuses Inhalants Blames Kindle



Via the Vallejo Times Herald in California:
A 35 year-old man was arrested in a Wal-Mart parking lot after allegedly huffing computer duster in his car. Passersby reported the man and police noted he “appeared to be under the influence and was extremely agitated.”
He told officers he was cleaning his Kindle screen and may have inhaled the fumes. He also noted he had been pulled over 13 day already that day for huffing.  He was taken into custody on “suspicion of possessing controlled narcotics, and public intoxication.”

Florida Woman Arrested After Huffing in Kmart Bathroom



A 43 year-old woman was arrested after a Kmart store employee caught her abusing inhalants in the store restroom.
The employee heard someone spraying something in the bathroom and went to investigate. She found the woman passed out on the floor and called the police. The police report notes the woman admitted she had “been “huffing” for a couple of weeks to deal with back pain.” She was charged with “inhaling/ingesting harmful chemicals and possession of harmful chemicals charges.”

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Pennsylvania Man Resists Huffing Arrest and Attacks Officer

Via CBS 21 in Pennsylvania:


A 31 year old man was arrested this weekend after an inhalant abuse related incident in Wal-Mart.

Store employees “noticed a strong chemical odor that burned their throats and eyes” and found a man inhaling dust remover in a stall in the men’s restroom. He had taken two cans of the computer keyboard cleaner from the store to the restroom.

Officers were called and an officer kicked down the stall door when the man refused to unlock it. The man aggressively resisted arrest, fought with the officer and was tased before his arrest. The officer’s badge was “bent and torn from his uniform and his glasses were damaged." The man sustained a small abrasion to his face. He was charged with “aggravated assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, retail theft, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and illegal use of solvents and noxious substances.”

Monday, January 14, 2013

Pennsylvania Coroner's Report Confirms Teens Huffed Behind the Wheel

Via the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:


Pennsylvania State Police released the findings of a coroner’s report that has confirmed that huffing was involved in the October 3, 2012 crash last fall that killed three 18 year old Pennsylvania teens and a 47 year old Canadian motorcyclist. Four others were injured.

The report six teens were in a car was traveling down I-79 and they had huffed computer dusting spray. The car “abruptly and for undetermined reasons" drove up a hilly median, went airborne and then “landed in the southbound lane where it hit a camper and collided with the motorcycle.” The motorcyclist’s passenger was flown to the hospital while the three teens were brought to the same hospital via ambulance.

Michigan Man Abuses Inhalants and Steals Two Cars

Via WOOD TV in Michigan:


On Saturday am, deputies responded to a Target parking lot for a report of someone almost getting hit by a vehicle. Upon responding they found a man who admitted to stealing two cars and “huffing from an aerosol can.”

Friday, January 11, 2013

California Man Sues Shop After Inhalant Related Injury

Via the Sacramento Bee in California:


A 35 year old California man is suing three stores where he purchased “Whip-Its” after suffering an injury from abusing the product.

On Halloween night 2010 the man, a schoolteacher and law student, had returned home after purchasing the nitrous oxide canisters commonly known as “Whip-Its” when he lost feeling “from the rib cage down.” His wife took him to the hospital where doctors determined he had suffered a “degeneration of his spinal cord related to his abuse of nitrous oxide.” He was held in the hospital for two weeks and he still uses a walker to get around.

His attorney remarked that “nitrous oxide depletes vitamin B-12 from the blood, which can lead to spinal cord problems.” She also noted the man had visited the head shop and was looking around when the salesperson made a suggestion. "They didn't demonstrate inhaling it. They just demonstrated how to open the charger, with a cracker (a tool that releases the gas), and let the gas out into the balloon, to encourage him to buy the setup."

The man took them home and “"liked the effects” so he used them regularly over the next two months leading up to the October 31st 2010 incident.

The lawsuit was filed on June 25th under the Business and Profession Code provisions against mislabeled products. The stores claim the man’s injuries are a result of his own negligence and he misused the product and assumed his own risk.

The article points out that in “California, no laws prohibit possession of nitrous oxide, but statutes ban its sale to minors.” It also notes that “the New York state attorney general's office appears to be making the most aggressive effort in the country targeting retailers who sell nitrous oxide, filing a lawsuit last summer that obtained preliminary injunctions halting sales in more than a dozen stores.”

It also points out that “Whip-Its” are called America’s "most popular recreational inhalant of choice," with more than 12 million people having used the product to obtain a nitrous oxide high. Their popularity, the suit says, is a byproduct of their accessibility in head shops.”

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

South Dakota Man Crashes Car After Huffing

Via Newscenter1 TV in South Dakota:


Earlier this week a 30 year old man was arrested for a DUI after an inhalant abuse related crash. The man was huffing behind the wheel when his SUV swerved off the road into a creek. The article notes that 32 cans of computer duster were found inside the vehicle.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Pennsylvania Mom Abuses Inhalants & Endangers Child

Via Explore Venango in Pennsylvania:


Last month in Evergreen Arbors police responded to a report of a woman huffing computer dusting spray in front of her child. After an investigation, she was charged with “endangering the welfare of a child.”