Adults sentenced in helium death of teen girl
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - A man and woman who threw a party for teens featuring booze and pot will spend time behind bars for their roles in the death of a 14-year-old Oregon girl who died after inhaling helium.
The two adults dropped their not guilty pleas in Jackson County Circuit Court in Medford on criminal charges stemming from the February 2012 death of 14-year-old Ashley Long of Eagle Point. Prosecutors said they delayed medical attention for the girl, who collapsed from an embolism in the brain that ultimately killed her.
The Mail Tribune reported that Katherine McAloon, 28, was sentenced to 28 months in prison and $300 restitution after pleading no contest to criminal mistreatment and guilty to delivering marijuana and alcohol to minors. Richard Mowery, 33, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and $10,000 restitution after pleading no contest to criminally negligent homicide.
Prosecutors said the pair were not malicious but showed poor judgment.
Authorities said Ashley went with friends to a birthday party at McAloon's apartment in Medford, where she inhaled from a tank of helium to make her voice sound funny. She collapsed after an air bubble entered her blood stream and blocked the flow of blood to her brain. Prosecutors said McAloon and Mowery delayed medical attention
Ashley's family and friends filled the courtroom as her mother read a written statement, saying her life had been changed forever.
"This is all I have left," she said, holding up a small lock of her daughter's hair in a small plastic bag.
Stepfather Justin Earp described Ashley as a bright, compassionate girl who had a 3.5 grade point average, wanted to be a marine biologist and was loyal to her friends.
"She was the type of girl that would befriend the kid in school that no one else would," Earp said.
"Ashley, we all miss you forever, Ashley," Earp read from a letter from one of Ashley's sisters. "I wish I could give you a hug."
The two adults dropped their not guilty pleas in Jackson County Circuit Court in Medford on criminal charges stemming from the February 2012 death of 14-year-old Ashley Long of Eagle Point. Prosecutors said they delayed medical attention for the girl, who collapsed from an embolism in the brain that ultimately killed her.
The Mail Tribune reported that Katherine McAloon, 28, was sentenced to 28 months in prison and $300 restitution after pleading no contest to criminal mistreatment and guilty to delivering marijuana and alcohol to minors. Richard Mowery, 33, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and $10,000 restitution after pleading no contest to criminally negligent homicide.
Prosecutors said the pair were not malicious but showed poor judgment.
Authorities said Ashley went with friends to a birthday party at McAloon's apartment in Medford, where she inhaled from a tank of helium to make her voice sound funny. She collapsed after an air bubble entered her blood stream and blocked the flow of blood to her brain. Prosecutors said McAloon and Mowery delayed medical attention
Ashley's family and friends filled the courtroom as her mother read a written statement, saying her life had been changed forever.
"This is all I have left," she said, holding up a small lock of her daughter's hair in a small plastic bag.
Stepfather Justin Earp described Ashley as a bright, compassionate girl who had a 3.5 grade point average, wanted to be a marine biologist and was loyal to her friends.
"She was the type of girl that would befriend the kid in school that no one else would," Earp said.
"Ashley, we all miss you forever, Ashley," Earp read from a letter from one of Ashley's sisters. "I wish I could give you a hug."
2 years for helium, 10 years for 60 pounds of heroin and meth. Police love drug busts so they can flip that dope themselves and make a little off the top. Good ol' methford oregon.
Inhaling out of the tank directly, instead from a balloon, increases the pressure of the gas. Â Any gas under high pressure can puncture the lungs. Â Even "air" from such a tank could have caused the problem.
Not that I'd recommend it, but inhaling slowly out of a balloon would have been much safer.
as a pack of cigarettes states it bad for your health, is helium stated the same dangerous affects? no, i think tv states its harmless .. same with that whip cream in a can in the dairy section at the stores , schools just dont cover the facts of life who really cares about the civil war when your life today is a nowa days war every day, and left stupid i might add.
@maggie112Â Maggie lets reread your comment one time before posting please, huh? Mmmkay.
Just wondering why one got 28 months and the other only got 90 days they  should of both got the same sentences they were both there and did the samething 90 days whats that going to do!
@Theresa Steinmeyer One snitched on the other. The law of the streets.
So sad that the people who killed a dog will get more jail time than these losers. Our justice system is sooo messed up!
Intent matters.
Being a moron doesn't mean you end up in jail forever versus intentionally inflicing pain.
@NBA_Is_Useless yeah but dogs don't have a soul.
Ridiculous to lock these parents up...who hasnt inhaled helium to make their voice higher? If it was dangerous to do this from the canister, the canister maker should have made it difficult or impossible to do it from the canister..lock up child molesters instead of "informing the public" when one is released to live next door to you
@kbbcoop Helium is a dangerous gas. Suck it up enough, you go brain dead. It should be taught in grade school that this is a stupid practice. It is suicide or roulette at best.If enough helium is inhaled in place of needed oxygen  one can suffer asphyxia. It is not something a host for a teen party should be promoting. Just my thoughtsâ¦.however if you ever want to kill yourself Helium might be the way to go.Â
Letâs face it, hosting a party and promoting dangerous activities and then not calling medics when someone is harmed is serious neglect.Â
@Valerie McCrumb Merkes It's not particularly dangerous.
@kbbcoop If you had read the article, you should understand that they are not going to jail for letting her inhale helium, they are going to jail for not getting her medical care in a timely manner and for giving alcohol and pot to minors. They proved to be completely irresponsible with these all of these kids, and deserve to pay for it. At least, while they are in prison, they won't be endangering more kids.
Good, they both deserve as much jail time as possible since they think it is cool and OK to contribute to bad choices a kid might make. What a couple of losers to think they are cool handing out MJ and alcohol.
@Pollywannacracker Oh come on you are 14 your mom throws a party with booze and weed, you are the coolest kid in school. I wanna move where you grew up.
@Robinsnest, I absolutely agree with what you wrote! You saved me the time of making my own comments. Our judicial system is so out of whack! The sentences individuals received for a wide variety of crimes is so diverse as to mean nothing at all! These two 'adults' are almost getting of scot free for murder!! Very sad. I can't imagine how her loved ones must feel about these sentences.
@ilovemy4GRANDSÂ They didn't murder anyone.
Damn. We used to do this all the time as kids, only with balloons. I had never heard it could be dangerous.
Parents trying to be friends and not being parents.
@Exiled_Patriot Worse than that - they didn't render medical assistance. They shouldn't have kids.
Do a quick lookup on McAloon. She was arrested for identity theft, and also for drunk driving, on other separate occasions, in addition to this case. Â
ma·li·cious [muh-lish-uhs] adjectiveÂ
1. full of, characterized by, or showing malice; malevolent; spiteful: malicious gossip.
2. Law. vicious, wanton, or mischievous in motivation or purpose.
They provided alcohol and pot to children, knowing it was illegal and dangerous. That is mischievous, and wonton.
What a load. "Not malicious." Sorry. Furnishing alcohol and pot to minors IS malicious.  You know it's illegal. You know you are teaching them bad lessons. You know you are putting their lives in danger. They didn't care that they were ruining childrens' lives by treating them this way, and that would have been true even if nobody died. That is indeed malicious: taking actions that you know are harmful with no regard for the victim.
The only way you could interpret it as "not malicious" would be if the people furnishing the drugs would not be expected to know better. It's time our legal system started holding adults accountable for expected adult behavior. You don't get off the hook because you "didn't mean it".
They provided booze and pot to teenagers and killed a girl. And the sentence, for only one of them, is 28 months in jail?
"Katherine McAloon, 28, was sentenced to 28 months in prison and $300 restitution after pleading no contest to criminal mistreatment and guilty to delivering marijuana and alcohol to minors. Richard Mowery, 33, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and $10,000 restitution after pleading no contest to criminally negligent homicide."Â
So she gets just over 2 years for criminal mistreatment, delivering marijuana/alcohol to minors and he gets 3 months for criminally negligent homicide????????? So it's worse to deliver mj/alcohol to minors than it is to kill them??? While I don't agree with ever giving minors alcohol, cigs, mj and she should be doing time for that, I am not understanding how this man only gets 3 months for criminally negligent homicide. The message I am getting is , don't contribute that crap to minors, just kill them instead. (SMH)
Not surprised anymore...
not that these people were malicious, no, but....
HUMAN LIFE IS CHEAP NOW DAYS!
People don't get it!!!!
Thanks to abortion rants of "my choice, my choice" .. we blur the line between "COMPASSION AND PASSION"
We better wake up and TURN THIS SHIP AROUND --- LIFE IS THE *ULTIMATE TREASURE*, let's SHOW IT!!!!
Never did the helium thing myself, but have seen it at parties where lots of people did. I always tell people it's not safe to do that, but I just never had a concrete reason to give them when they asked why. At least now I know my instincts where correct and hopefully will be able to halt this activity at the next part I go to. I will admit, however, that those that did inhale helium always did it from a balloon and never from the tank. The POT and Alcohol at the part must certainly have played a part in the delay of getting this girl any help. Perhaps the folks there were so spaced and/or drunk they didn't take the girl seriously or thought she'd just passed out from all that was going on?
@Joy Johnson Life's not safe!
@Joy Johnson I agree with you. My son inhaled helium one time from a balloon in the back seat of the car on the way home from Red Robin. He immediately turned a peaked white/blue. He was around 11 years old. Scared the living #*%$& out of me. I always told my kids not to (and of course they did it anyhow), & that day just proved it for me. He won't do it again either. I'm sure it has something to do with how helium binds to the oxygen in the blood from transfer in the lungs.Â
And this story is about doing it from a tank no less! I feel panic just thinking about it.
@Thunder @Joy Johnson
Actually Helium doesn't really bind to anything. Â The problem isn't the helium, but that there isn't oxygen in there with it -- deep sea divers breathe a helium oxygen mixture (because nitrogen becomes toxic at the pressures they are exposed to). Â So it isn't that you are inhaling helium, but rather that you are no longer inhaling oxygen.
Don't do this at home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u19QfJWI1oQ
@cheekygesturton what a bunch of idiots.
Pressurized gas or air can do surprising harm to the lungs.  I had no idea though,  a lethal 'air bubble' could form in the blood, as in this recorded  tragedy.  But also be warned,  there's danger in taking helium from a balloon.  Impurities in cheaper grade helium,  and latex dust,  are now superseded by the popular new idea of putting 'sealant' in the balloon so they'll float longer.
There's cool apps for your smartphone that can change the pitch of your voice, hazard free :)
@cheekygesturton Holy cow! I didn't know. Very scary. I'll be passing that on to my youngest who still thinks it's no big deal. (My oldest will never do it again after turning white/blue from it).
Terminal  patients breath Helium when they want a quick painless death, it rapidly washes all the oxygen out of your system    much like being in an unpressurised aircraft or at the top of Mt Everest without an oxygen tank.. People lose consciousness after7 seconds quickly followed by an unretreivable coma and death. Keep that in mind when you breathe in helium and never hold it in your lungs like a hit off a bong. You have a very bad risk of dying.
Any idiot who is going to furnish alcohol and pot to 14yr. olds should be put in jail for that. Â The ironic part of this story is that the alcohol or pot didn't cause her death directly. Â It was the helium which is a seemingly innocent thing, we all have at some point in our lives inhaled helium to make our voice funny sounding. Â Maybe think twice next time about throwing a helium party.
@keri555Â Neither is a big deal. Â I'd rather my child was having a drink at home.
@keri555
If the story is correct that the kids were inhaling helium directly from the tank instead of a low-pressure balloon, we can see how crazy it is for anyone to even attempt to breathe this stuff at such immense pressure. Â Considering the parents purchased alcohol and pot, I'm surprised they didn't provide nitrous oxide to the kids.Â
Helium at 2,000 p.s.i.
Firehose 1,200 p.s.i. (bursting pressure)
@MyTacoma If they were using a mask as reported, then it would be no different to using a diving tank.
@keri555 No sorry. Never did it. We all have not tried it.Â
@Northend @keri555 Like you I have never inhaled helium- even as a child the whole voice changing thing didn't seem healthy to me.Â
I feel sad when a story like this happens, victims all around with so many impacted families and friends. Only thing we can do is live our own lives respecting the gift of life we have and appreciate those close to us (smile at strangers too). It is unlikely that these two woke up that morning thinking anything like this would happen that would ruin so many lives, including their own. Prayers for all
This what happens when you don't raise your kids with ethics. Seriously, do not let these people breed, I can only imagine what a child would be like coming from these two.
From the photo the women looks like Drew Barrymore.
@joefuss A fat Drew Barrymore!
Why do the men almost always get more time/punishment than the women do?
Ya, what's up with that at least with the fine!!!!!!!!
@cm257n7Â She got 28 months and he got 90 days. But he had to pay a huge fine. So I think the discrepancy here, is those with the cash serve less time, at least in this case. It's interesting that they were charged with different crimes.
@Insomniac Dreams @cm257n7 What do you mean "with the cash"? He had longer time in jail AND a bigger restitution to pay. She had less time in jail and less restitution to pay.
@JK15Â @cm257n7Â @Insomniac Dreams In my OWN apparently LOL. Let me get back to you after my second cup of coffee because apparently I need one.
@cm257n7 @Insomniac Dreams She got 28 MONTHS and he got 90 DAYS. In what world is that less time?
Does this couple have a child of their own? Why were they throwing a party with booze and pot for teenagers in the first place? Adults need to realize that kids/teenagers do not need them to be their buddies, they need them to be and act like responsible adults and protect them.
@tats76Â Because they are losers. Most people their age are preoccupied with a real life and if they are around young people, they are mentoring them, not contributing to their deliquency.
@tats76  For this woman (28) to have had a child Ashleys age, she would have been impregnated at 13-14 years old herself. Of course, the man (Richard Mowery) at age 33, could have had children in this age group but the article does not state whether he had any kids of his own there.
@scared_citizen @tats76 The other article says that they were throwing the party for a 13 year old relative and her friend.Â
@scared_citizen That's why I'm asking. What are these two adults hanging out with a bunch of teenagers for? And she could very well have had a child that young herself.