Arrest Made In Blaine Mass Overdose That Killed 1
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An arrest has been made in a mass overdose that killed a 19-year-old father and hospitalized 10 others, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say 21-year-old Timothy Richard Lamere reportedly purchased, possessed and provided the drug 2C-E, which is legally sold online, to the group. He is now in the custody of the Sheriff's Office being held for third-degree murder. Formal criminal charges are expected on March 21, 2011.
Those 10 people in Blaine are now recovering at home. Nineteen-year-old Trevor Robinson from Coon Rapids died after taking the drug. It's a pill that is ground down and either snorted or mixed in a drink.
The teens and young adults all took the drug during a spring break party at a home in Blaine Wednesday night.
When Trevor's brother, John, met Lamere last Wednesday, the conversation lasted only a couple of minutes.
"He was like, thanks for bringing Trevor out here, do you want some of this stuff," said John.
"Obviously there is some blame here. Somebody brought the drugs in," said Greg Fisher. "He made it sound like it was something that wasn't that big of a deal."
Fisher said it was his great nephew Jesse who threw the party at his parents' house. Fisher said Jesse was supposed to be staying at a friend's house while his parents were out of town, and he also overdosed but was released from the hospital. Fisher said, however, Jesse was not the one who provided the drug, and he even tried to perform CPR on Trevor.
"Someone has to step up, the sheriff has to step up, the FDA, and get these drugs off the Internet," said Fisher.
We found one website where 2C-E was selling between $10 and $20 per gram. It has a slow on-set when ingested, causing users to feel like they need to take more. As it was discussed on the Early Show this morning by Dr. Jennifer Ashton, it can lead to an increase in body temperature, irregular heartbeat and an overdose.
"People can be lulled into a false sense of security that it's safe because it's legal. Obviously it's deadly," said Dr. Ashton.
Trevor's family is learning that first-hand, as they try to cope with his loss.
"I definitely believe he would still be here. I definitely believe he would still be here if that hadn't been brought here ever," said John.
John told WCCO-TV that his brother had just turned 19 last weekend, had just become a father and was hoping to finish college.
John would like to see 2C-E get the same attention as the chemicals used in synthetic drugs like, K2 or spice, which are sold in stores. Sen. Amy Klobuchar recently sponsored legislation to ban the chemicals after emergency rooms around the country reported an increase in visits because of K2 use.
"It should be illegal," said John. "As it stands being legal now, it hurts everyone."
Investigators are not saying right now how much of the drug was ingested by the eleven people who took it.