July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Cautionary tale for teens (12/26/03)
Editor's Mailbag
By To the editor:-
The conclusion of the State of Indiana vs. Aaron Wilson, along with the recent teenage drug-related incident that sent five young girls to the hospital, has prompted us to write.
The teenage girls who misused an over-the-counter drug in search of a quick high were lucky. Although they may have suffered unnecessary bodily distress, they escaped with their lives, which may often not be the case when teenagers experiment.
Our story is of the latter sort; a tragic story of two 17-year-old boys and a 24-year-old man. We write this letter for two reasons; firstly, to alert parents and teenagers of the dangers of prescription drugs and second, to unveil various details of this sad story that may or may not be known.
Our story is one of two life-long friends, friends who laughed together, loved together, and nearly died by the same hand. Matt and Cody were adventurous boys. Boys who, seeking life, sometimes stumbled along the path. Like all people these boys made choices, some good and some bad.
On a November evening in 2001 Matt and Cody, at separate times and in the absence of one another, took a drink from a Mountain Dew bottle that contained the prescription narcotic liquid methadone. What was common to both Matt and Cody was that when they each drank from the Mountain Dew bottle they were in the presence of a mutual acquaintance — Aaron Wilson.
Recently, Mr. Wilson pleaded guilty to possession of liquid methadone in November of 2001.
On that November evening we found our son Matt less than one hour after saying goodnight. His skin was blue, he was not breathing, and he was completely unresponsive. My wife performed rescue breathing while I called for help. It was the single most terrifying moment in our lives. Matt was rushed to the hospital and placed in intensive care. We were very fortunate to have found Mathew early in the night. If my wife had not walked to the basement to investigate a strange noise, we would not have been able to save him. Cody, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. His condition was not discovered until the next morning and by that time his respiratory system had been suppressed for so long that his chance of surviving was nil. Cody died as a result of a drug overdose induced by the prescription narcotic methadone.
Cody’s death prompted a grand jury investigation which concluded with two class A and a class D felony charge filed against Aaron Wilson. It was the contention of the prosecution that Mr. Wilson, then 24, procured the methadone, first gave it to Cody; then, hours later and in a different location, gave it to Matt.
However, this case would never go to trial because of several complications. First, the record of Cody’s blood test disappeared. They were lost, nonexistent, and therefore the methadone could not be linked to the cause of death. Second, a witness for the prosecution, who was scheduled to testify that Wilson admitted to supplying the drug, had also vanished. Third, the Mountain Dew bottle that contained the methadone was never located. It is Aaron Wilson’s contention that Matt had taken the bottle. But this is false, for if it were true, Matt would have produced the bottle as evidence against Wilson.
So where did a drug such as liquid methadone originate? We believe that it came from the same source where a majority of prescription drugs are obtained by young people — that is from the parents, grandparents and acquaintances who do not properly store or dispose of their potentially lethal narcotics. Keep in mind that these boys consumed only one or two sips. Neither Matt, Cody nor Aaron realized ow potentially lethal this drug was.
At the plea bargain and sentencing hearing there was over two hours of testimony. After hearing the testimony, Judge Brian Hutchison made several comments. We wish all of Hutchison’s comments could be printed because his message was sharp and noteworthy.
He acknowledged that there were two young boys who made terrible decisions and suffered serious consequences. He pointed out that Aaron, through his own testimony, came extremely close to admitting that he had committed a class A felony — dealing in a Schedule II controlled substance.
He questioned why a 24-year-old man was associating with 17-year-old boys, and indicated that this type of behavior can not occur in the future. He told Aaron that regardless of his version of the story, he was wrong. Aaron was in a position where he could have done something to prevent this tragedy, but he chose not to.
In this story there were three culpable individuals. And the lives of all involved have been changed forever. We can only hope that this story may alert both teenagers and parents to the dangers of prescription drugs.
I believe we have learned how precarious this life is and that we should treasure the relationships we have.
We will go forward but we will never forget Cody and the significance he brings to our lives.
Ted and Cathy Klopfenstein
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
The teenage girls who misused an over-the-counter drug in search of a quick high were lucky. Although they may have suffered unnecessary bodily distress, they escaped with their lives, which may often not be the case when teenagers experiment.
Our story is of the latter sort; a tragic story of two 17-year-old boys and a 24-year-old man. We write this letter for two reasons; firstly, to alert parents and teenagers of the dangers of prescription drugs and second, to unveil various details of this sad story that may or may not be known.
Our story is one of two life-long friends, friends who laughed together, loved together, and nearly died by the same hand. Matt and Cody were adventurous boys. Boys who, seeking life, sometimes stumbled along the path. Like all people these boys made choices, some good and some bad.
On a November evening in 2001 Matt and Cody, at separate times and in the absence of one another, took a drink from a Mountain Dew bottle that contained the prescription narcotic liquid methadone. What was common to both Matt and Cody was that when they each drank from the Mountain Dew bottle they were in the presence of a mutual acquaintance — Aaron Wilson.
Recently, Mr. Wilson pleaded guilty to possession of liquid methadone in November of 2001.
On that November evening we found our son Matt less than one hour after saying goodnight. His skin was blue, he was not breathing, and he was completely unresponsive. My wife performed rescue breathing while I called for help. It was the single most terrifying moment in our lives. Matt was rushed to the hospital and placed in intensive care. We were very fortunate to have found Mathew early in the night. If my wife had not walked to the basement to investigate a strange noise, we would not have been able to save him. Cody, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. His condition was not discovered until the next morning and by that time his respiratory system had been suppressed for so long that his chance of surviving was nil. Cody died as a result of a drug overdose induced by the prescription narcotic methadone.
Cody’s death prompted a grand jury investigation which concluded with two class A and a class D felony charge filed against Aaron Wilson. It was the contention of the prosecution that Mr. Wilson, then 24, procured the methadone, first gave it to Cody; then, hours later and in a different location, gave it to Matt.
However, this case would never go to trial because of several complications. First, the record of Cody’s blood test disappeared. They were lost, nonexistent, and therefore the methadone could not be linked to the cause of death. Second, a witness for the prosecution, who was scheduled to testify that Wilson admitted to supplying the drug, had also vanished. Third, the Mountain Dew bottle that contained the methadone was never located. It is Aaron Wilson’s contention that Matt had taken the bottle. But this is false, for if it were true, Matt would have produced the bottle as evidence against Wilson.
So where did a drug such as liquid methadone originate? We believe that it came from the same source where a majority of prescription drugs are obtained by young people — that is from the parents, grandparents and acquaintances who do not properly store or dispose of their potentially lethal narcotics. Keep in mind that these boys consumed only one or two sips. Neither Matt, Cody nor Aaron realized ow potentially lethal this drug was.
At the plea bargain and sentencing hearing there was over two hours of testimony. After hearing the testimony, Judge Brian Hutchison made several comments. We wish all of Hutchison’s comments could be printed because his message was sharp and noteworthy.
He acknowledged that there were two young boys who made terrible decisions and suffered serious consequences. He pointed out that Aaron, through his own testimony, came extremely close to admitting that he had committed a class A felony — dealing in a Schedule II controlled substance.
He questioned why a 24-year-old man was associating with 17-year-old boys, and indicated that this type of behavior can not occur in the future. He told Aaron that regardless of his version of the story, he was wrong. Aaron was in a position where he could have done something to prevent this tragedy, but he chose not to.
In this story there were three culpable individuals. And the lives of all involved have been changed forever. We can only hope that this story may alert both teenagers and parents to the dangers of prescription drugs.
I believe we have learned how precarious this life is and that we should treasure the relationships we have.
We will go forward but we will never forget Cody and the significance he brings to our lives.
Ted and Cathy Klopfenstein
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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