Man puts Vodka into ailing boy's feeding tube

[Blondie]

Stepfather accused of putting vodka through ailing boy’s feeding tube

By The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A 7-year-old boy with a rare medical condition was admitted to the hospital with a potentially deadly blood-alcohol level after his stepfather allegedly fed him vodka through a medical feeding tube.

Officials at Kosair Children’s Hospital would not release the boy’s condition, but his mother, Cherie Glover, said the child was in stable condition Monday night.

The child arrived at the hospital Saturday with a 0.59 percent blood-alcohol level - almost double the amount considered fatal in adults. It’s more than seven times the level at which a person is considered drunk.

“That’s just a whopping amount,” said Jefferson County Coroner Richard Greathouse, who is a pediatrician. “It’s totally, totally outrageous.”

Chris Harmon was charged with first-degree criminal abuse and was being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

Glover said her son was born with Vacteral syndrome, a cluster of birth defects that can affect the vertebrae, anal area, limbs, esophagus, and heart and liver function.

She said the boy, who has a tracheal tube and is fed through a gastrointestinal bag, couldn’t sleep without special medication. But they stopped buying the medication recently, after the health care program she used stopped paying for it. Without the medication, she said, her son would scream and cry through the night.

Police said Monday the child’s blood-alcohol content remained at 0.20 - still more than double the 0.08 level at which someone is considered drunk under Kentucky law.

With a 0.59 blood-alcohol level, the child would likely have suffered damage to his kidneys, heart and central nervous system, Greathouse said.

”(An adult) would have very, very severe brain damage from the effects of that amount of alcohol,” he said. “The damage on a 7-year-old child would be double or triple that in an adult.”

 

[Princess Michelle]

That's so sad

 

[supercarrie]

Why would anyone do such a thing?? How sad for the little boy...I hope he ends up without any more damage...

 

[nativetxn]

I suppose this man believed he was helping the child sleep? This is <b>outrageous</b>!

 

[Deb in IA]

I saw this story too, and almost posted it here, but it just made me too sad/mad . . .

This was in my hometown . . .

 

[browneyes]

I hope the little boy is ok.

 

[snoopy]

Perhaps the father thought he would relieve the boy's pain? Yes, it is incredibly stupid, but what I find sad is that the medicine used to relieve the child's pain was no longer covered by insurance. I suppose as a parent seeing your child suffer couldl cause one to do some crazy things.

 

[kejoda]

This is so sad.

Snoopy your right the insurance co. has some responsibilty in this.

 

[CathyCanada]

I can understand not wanting the child to be in pain and I think it is horrible that the insurance company no longer covers the medication, but that man must have had brain damage of his own to give that child an obviously large amount of alcohol.

I hope that the damage to the child is not permanent.
CC

 

[Robinrs]

idiot...

 

[shortbun]

This is a very sad story. I feel bad for
everyone involved. I can not judge
the man so quickly as perhaps he thought
he was doing the "right thing". Watching
someone you love in agony must be awful.
Some people here on this board recently
told me I shouldn't judge until I had the
whole story....

 

[JerseyJanice]

I agree with Snoopy and Shortbun.

Plus, is it possible he didn't use a significant amount of vodka, but the fact that went through a feeding tube made the blood alcohol level so high?

 

[Mermaid02]

The guy is a scumbag.....

 

[DocRafiki]

Excellent point, Shortbun. He probably thought he was helping but was too stupid to take the amt into consideration. After all, a lot of people follow the "if a little helps, then a lot will help a lot" theory. (Well it says take 2 tylenol, but my headache's really bad so I'll take 4!)

Still, I feel confident in calling him stupid.

Then again, if he thought his son was suffering from antifreeze poisoning, that vodka would do the trick. (J/K)

 

[ZPT1022]

OMG, I can't believe it. I flipped out when my grandmother wanted to rub sambuca on DD's gums when she was teething, but this is something else entirely

 

[helenabear]

That is almost unbelievable... I seriously don't know what to say or think about someone who would do that... how very sad

 

[cotye]

What a moronic and idiotic thing to do! That poor kid!

 

[BrerMom]

My first thought with a blood-alchohol level that high was euthanasia. I hope for his sake that, while misguided, his intentions were just to relieve pain.

Insurance!

 

[TigerBear]

Given the law as it is, THIS is what I don't understand:

If the patient in question would be an adult, the charge would likely be "attempted murder", but because the patient is a child, the charge is "criminal abuse".