Gadsden teen recovering from alcohol poisoning

A 15-year-old Gadsden High School honor student who was in a coma induced by alcohol and cocaine poisoning is being treated at Las Palmas Hospital, a Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office investigator said Thursday.

The teenager was hospitalized Wednesday after sheriff's deputies went to her home in Anthony, N.M., for what they thought was a domestic violence incident, Investigator Bo Nevarez said.

The El Paso Times is not publishing her name because she is a minor.

Nevarez said that when the deputies arrived, they saw that she had an injury on her lip and that her eyes were swollen. They then noticed a strong odor of alcohol.

She was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces. At the hospital, authorities learned that her blood-alcohol level was 0.50 -- about six times as high as the 0.08 limit allowed under Texas and New Mexico laws for driving -- and that she also had cocaine in her system. She was then transferred to Las Palmas in El Paso.

Las Palmas officials on Thursday declined to comment on her condition, citing federal patient privacy laws.

Nevarez said the girl was in a coma on Wednesday but showed signs of improvement on Thursday.

"She is responsive. She came out of the coma (Thursday)," Nevarez said. "I don't want to speculate because I'm not a medical professional, but according to her sister and her mother, it appears that she is going to be fine."

Her family couldn't be reached for comment.

Nevarez said her parents told him the girl is an honor student at Gadsden High School.

Art Ruiloba, Gadsden Independent School District spokesman, said the girl is a freshman and a member of the volleyball team. She has no history of disciplinary problems at the school.

"It's unfortunate that an incident like this happens to one of our students," Ruiloba said. "It's important to stress the importance of being responsible and knowing that there are consequences when that responsibility is broken. We at the district are praying for a full recovery."

Nevarez said the investigation revealed that the girl was hanging out with her 17-year-old boyfriend and other friends at a friend's home after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. She returned home about three hours later, and that's when the deputies were called for assistance.

Initially, deputies suspected she had been assaulted. But they later learned that was not the case, and that she voluntarily consumed the alcohol and cocaine, Nevarez said.

"We believe it was voluntary for all of them. They did it together," he said. "It's that time of year, schools are letting out, and parents have to be aware of who their children are hanging around with."

Her boyfriend and other friends are not expected to face any charges, Nevarez said.

Nevarez said investigators were trying to find out who supplied the teenagers with the alcohol and cocaine. That person would face charges, he said.

Nevarez encourages parents to look out for signs and symptoms that could indicate that their child has consumed alcohol or drugs, such as bloodshot eyes and changes in personality.

Mary Ellen Hernandez, Rio Grande Safe Communities manager, said the tragedy is a harsh reminder of the dangers of alcohol. She said El Paso has a problem with binge drinking, particularly among people ages 17 to 24 "because of the fact that they cross over into Mexico, drink and come back."

"They don't know when to stop," she said.

Rio Grande Safe Communities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing substance abuse.

Hernandez said men are considered to binge drink if they have five alcoholic beverages within a two-hour period. Binge drinking for women means they have four alcoholic drinks within a two-hour period.

"Kids tend to binge drink," Hernandez said. "They don't stop. They tend to drink and drink until they pass out. They don't understand the severity of this problem."

Parents need to know whom their children are hanging out with and where they are at all times to help prevent these kinds of tragedies, she said, especially during this time of year when students attend parties, many related to graduation.

"Graduation or not, spring break or not, they should enforce zero tolerance. Zero tolerance means no drugs at any time and, if you are under 21, no alcohol," Hernandez said.

El Paso Times