Mississippi Teens Die From Huffing

Via knoe.com

A 14-year-old Mississippi boy died after huffing computer duster spray.  The boy was taken to a local hospital were he was pronounced dead.  Authorities are waiting on lab results to conclude the death investigation.

One can die from inhalants on the first or 100th time of use, known as Sudden Sniff Death Syndrome.  Please visit the People Against Inhalants Network (PAIN), www.peopleagainstinhalants.com, for support if you have lost a loved one to inhalant abuse.

Man Suspected of Huffing Bites Police Officer

Via the Sun Herald in Mississippi:

Police were called to a hotel in Moss Point after hotel officials requested backup while dismissing a man who lived and worked at the hotel. According to reports, the man became extremely agitated while he was escorted from the property. He then “bit one of the officers and sent him to the hospital.”

The Police Chief suspects that the man had been huffing some sort of chemical prior to the incident, because officers noticed “a very heavy odor of lacquer” in the man’s room.

The man was arrested for assault of a police officer and resisting arrest. The police officer he bit was treated and released from the hospital.

Lamar County to Educate Parents on Teen Drug Use

Courtesy of the Hattiesburg American
Lamar County, MS

The Lamar County Sheriffs Office has teamed up with other organizations to form an educational task force in an effort to combat drug use.

The Superintendent of schools said, " We're trying to equip parents with the knowledge to know what's going on in and around kids and with their own child."

Burnett said the task force also met with 300 high school and middle school teachers in the district saying, "They learned how to recognize what the different kinds of drugs look like, the warning signs for students that might be on drugs, and how to approach that."

The task force's third meeting was held at 6PM on March 29 at Purvis High School and another meeting will be held in Oak Grove next week.

Grieving Mother Seeks Justice

From WLBT 3 News in Jackson, Mississippi

In 2008, two Lincoln County teenagers were killed in a horrific car accident when the vehicle they were riding in “went airborne, flipped, and landed on top of them.” Accident reports reveal that a total of six teens were present in the car at the time of the crash. The vehicle’s driver, who was behind the wheel despite having a suspended license passed out and lost control of the car after “using an inhalant to get high.”

More than a year has passed and no charges have been filed against the young driver. A mother who lost her daughter in the crash is speaking out and demanding legal action be taken against the responsible party. She believes the driver was under the influence of inhalants- computer duster when he lost control; claiming several of the teen passengers (her daughter included) to have been ‘huffing’ the cleaner and “getting dusted” prior to the accident.

Toxicology tests found traces of diflouroethane (a chemical found in computer duster) in the driver’s blood, but no criminal charges have been pressed. Eight cans of computer duster were reportedly found at the crash scene. The Lincoln County District Attorney is currently reviewing the accident report and is expected to rule on whether enough evidence is available “to prove a crime was committed” sometime next week.

Part 2 of 2: A father's story of losing a son to inhalants

In addition to Michel, Tyler's father also shares his heartbreaking perspective: "I want to introduce you to mine and Michel’s son Tyler Townsend.

"Tyler and his mother were at home after school on Feb 5. Tyler was playing with his dogs in the house. His mother asked Tyler to put the dogs in their pen. Tyler took the dogs out one at a time. Shortly after Tyler had taken the second dog out (approximately 5-8 minutes), his mother received a phone call from Tyler’s uncle. He had called to thank Tyler for a birthday present he had received. His mother went outside and found Tyler laying face first in the yard less than 15 feet from the back door.

There had been no sound, no cry for help, nothing to indicate a problem of any kind. Tyler’s mother frantically turned Tyler over and screamed for his uncle to hurry. His mother began CPR, less than two minutes passed and his uncle arrived and took over the CPR. Ten minutes later I arrived and immediately began helping with the CPR.

Tyler’s uncle and I performed CPR for what seemed an eternity. 25-30 minutes later the ambulance, four sheriff vehicles, and three EMT vehicles arrived. The EMT’s performed CPR and tried to resuscitate Tyler for another thirty minutes at our home. They then loaded him in the ambulance and we all left for the emergency room.

Less than an hour later Tyler was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Now for those of you who have never had to perform CPR on your son. CPR is a very personal experience. You are trying to deliver life into what seems a lifeless body. Tyler’s eyes were open and fixed. There was a milky white glaze covering them. His pupils and iris were almost not distinguishable. No pulse was evident his tongue was swollen and far back in his throat. The grass from the yard was in his throat and mouth and we were constantly clearing it. Some type of secretion kept coming up and His uncle was constantly having to clear this as well.

Chest compressions require a fair amount of force. I felt on more than one occasion what seemed like Tyler’s ribs cracking or breaking under my hands. We are taught not to stop until medical help arrives. Well how would you like to feel your son’s ribs break under your hands and you still have to keep going.

I thank God every day I had Tyler’s uncle with me helping me but I also wish he didn’t have to go through this. When the ambulance arrives you will fight a battle within yourself. You will not want to stop because every part of your being is fighting and praying for your son to revive.

Now it gets worse. You move out of the way and you watch strangers performing the same act on your son and you see them doing something different and you wonder if you were doing it wrong.

You feel helpless just standing there. They shock your son, you see him move, your heart will jump in your throat with a brief moment of hope. You will watch the monitor and see some activity not knowing what it means, when they pause to shock him again you see the lines on the monitor flatten out. They shock him again and you get to repeat the process all over.

Eventually you notice they are not working as diligently as they started. Whether through exhaustion or despair their movements begin to slow. Your only hope is that some sort of miracle will happen and you begin to pray even more.

Then you get to watch them load your son in an ambulance and race to the hospital. I was never more than a hundred feet behind traveling at speeds close to 90 miles and hour. My eyes never left the activity I could see in the back glass.

You spend all your energy trying to comfort your son’s mother but she can see the same thing you can. The EMTs in the ambulance seem to stop performing CPR and once again you get your hopes up. Then you notice they are just changing positions because the one doing the compressions has tired out.

You get to arrive at the hospital park your truck and run inside just in time to stop at a desk and give information. You then get to hear a loud cry in emergency waiting room, run over there and find out the cry was from the rest of the family who beat you to the hospital and were just told your son was dead.

After that you don’t remember anything for awhile except what your son looked like laying there under you hands and wondering what you forgot or didn’t do.

We all sat at the Hospital over thirty friends and family in total disbelief. Fingers were pointed, statements were made feelings were hurt and many tears were shed. Grown men cried like babies, and still no one knew what had happened to this young man who brought joy to so many of our lives.

Well one long sleepless night followed. “Why ?” was the predominant question on everyone’s mind. Friends and family gathered around our home on Feb 6, seeking comfort, and to comfort. The phone never quit ringing from people we never heard of and people we haven’t heard from in a while. All our lives were put on hold for what seemed an eternity, and still no one knew why.

Please if you KNOW of this already do not hide it.

Several parents we have spoken to in the past week have told us of their kids experimenting with Huffing. These children knew and played with our son. Their parents kept silent “ashamed” their children were doing such a thing. I do not blame anyone for what has happened to my son but prevention is always better than the cure.

If you think this won’t happen to you or can not happen to you, please re-read this letter and prepare yourself for what just may be inevitable!

We all believe our children will out live us and work our whole lives to provide a future for them. My son’s future is with God now and though I rejoice in this I miss him terribly.

Part 1 of 2: A mother's story of losing a son to inhalants

Michel Townsend lost her son, Tyler Aubrey Townsend, to inhalants when he was fourteen years old.

In memory of him she created a Memorial site and shares her story.

To read Michel's story, please visit:

http://www.drugfree.org/memorials/tyler-aubrey-townsend/

Teens Crash Car into Store after Huffing

From the Picayune Item in Mississippi:

Last Wednesday evening, “a car carrying four juveniles crashed into the K & T Texaco on U.S. 11, destroying the ice cooler out front and cracking the brick wall behind it.”

The 16 year old driver was charged with DUI after at least three cans of computer duster were found in the car. “All four juveniles in the car were treated for mild to moderate injuries.”

The car had been traveling at least 60 miles per hour when it hit the store. “Damage to the store was roughly estimated to be about $14,000, just for the wall and the demolished ice machine.”

“The car not only destroyed the ice cooler but it also hit another car, which dominoed into two other cars.”

The store employees noted, “Fortunately the ice machine that was struck by the car had run out of ice earlier that day so no one was at the machine at the time of the accident” and “No one — luckily — was sitting at the booths.”

New Mississippi Drug Study

From WLBT-TV Jackson, MS

A 2007 survey found more than 4% of Mississippi students in grades sixth through eleventh used inhalants in a 90-day period. Still alcohol and marijuana are most commonly abused.

Police from Madison, Mississippi have been noticing an alarming increase in alolesent drug use. “Police chief Gene Waldrop won't call it an epidemic but a display case in the department's front hall filled with confiscated drug paraphernalia proves it does exist.”