Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HEBER CITY — A teenage girl who recently drank herself into a coma was dropped off at a high school, where a student found her lying on the lawn and called 911.
Police say the scare in Heber City should serve as a reminder about the dangers of binge drinking and recreational drug use — and the importance of taking care of people at a party or elsewhere if they see someone struggling.
"Kids need to stay away from it and not think it’s glamorous,” Heber Police Lt. Jason Bradley said of binge drinking.
"If they’re with somebody and they’re overdosing or they’re getting sick or whatever, they need to get them help. Get them go to the doctor. Take them to the hospital," Bradley said. "If you have a friend that is sick, that is in danger of losing their life, you need to get them help."
The advice comes on the heels of a high-profile binge drinking incident at Penn State University that led to the death of a fraternity pledge, as well as the Heber City incident that occurred at the end of April.
In that case, a 14-year-old girl and some friends went to a Heber hotel room during school hours and were "chugging" alcohol, Bradley said.
"It was too much, too fast and it was super dangerous,” the lieutenant said.
When tests were later conducted on the young teen, she had a blood-alcohol content in the neighborhood of .40 — five times the legal limit for an adult, and a potentially lethal level for an adult or juvenile, Bradley said.
A 19-year-old man and a teenage boy had picked up two teen girls on April 24 and taken them to a hotel and drank alcohol, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed this week in 4th District Court.
The two girls became extremely intoxicated, according to police, to the point that the boys should have realized they weren't OK. But instead of getting them help, the boys dropped the girls off at Wasatch High School, 930 500 East in Heber City, just after school got out for the day, the warrant states.
Wasatch County School District officials said Monday that neither of the girls are students in their district. It wasn't known Tuesday why the girls were dropped off at the school.
"I think (the boys) were concerned. I think they were concerned that something was wrong and they were scared — and they were scared of what would happen to them," Bradley said.
Within minutes of being dropped off on school property, the 14-year-old passed out.
Fortunately, a 17-year-old Wasatch High student who had just gotten out of school spotted the girl lying in the grass. He offered assistance and called 911.
When police arrived, the girl was found "unresponsive but breathing," the affidavit states.
"Her skin looked purple and she was foaming from her mouth," according to charging documents filed against the adult.
She was taken to Heber Valley Hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital "in a coma," according to the affidavit.
The other girl fled the scene when she learned police were coming, the charges state. When detectives later found her, she said her friend had gotten so drunk that she "had to drag her" to the car because she couldn't walk.
Andrue Holmes, 19, of Heber City, is charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor, a class A misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. His next court hearing is scheduled for May 24.
Holmes claimed he picked up the girls and told them there was alcohol in the trunk of his car, but then he had to go to an appointment. When he returned, he was told one of the girls "drank all of his alcohol," the charges state.
After doctors treated the 14-year-old, she was eventually released from Primary Children's Hospital.
The incident comes as another case of binge drinking and lack of care is making national headlines out of Penn State University.
At least 18 members of Beta Theta Pi face a variety of criminal charges following the death of a 19-year-old pledge. Prosecutors allege that during a hazing ritual,
Timothy Piazza was forced to guzzle large amounts of alcohol during a short period of time. Piazza continuously fell down as the night progressed, eventually falling face first down a flight of steps. But fraternity brothers are accused of making half-hearted and even counterproductive efforts to help him, and when one member strongly advocated for summoning help, he was shoved into a wall and told to leave, according to the charges.
Bradley said if there is a silver lining out of the incident in Heber City, it's the actions of the 17-year-old student who stopped to help the girls. He called the student a "hero" and said he would be recognized at the department's next awards banquet.
Wasatch High Student Isaac Cox said he saw the two girls stumbling and slurring their words on his walk home. He tried to help them both stay seated as he went for help. He said that is when one of the teens lost consciousness.
“She gradually started to get worse and hit her head and started to roll her eyes in the back of the head,” Cox said.
He quickly called 911 and when paramedics arrived, he said the other teen fled the scene. Cox said this was an unfortunate incident we can all learn from.
"Pretty scary to see somebody just practically overdosing on alcohol,” he said. “Even if you're of age, [drinking is] not a thing to be taken lightly.”
Contributing: Ashley Moser
