Girl could be charged in friend's overdose

A Carson City sophomore could be charged with selling painkillers to a friend who is on life support after overdosing Wednesday night.

Charges of sale of a controlled substance and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor could be filed against the girl after a 16-year-old boy was found by his parents Thursday morning, with "labored breathing and unresponsive," said Sgt. Bob White of the Carson City Sheriff's Department.

A toxicology test at Carson-Tahoe Hospital indicated the teen overdosed on opiates, which investigators believe came in the form of hydrocodone pills he bought from the female classmate Wednesday morning at Carson High School.

The victim, whose name was being withheld by investigators, is in a coma with swelling of the brain. His prognosis is uncertain.

"Based on our investigation, we believe it was an attempted suicide," White said. The previous evening, the boy had become emotional after a discussion with his parents concerning his grades, White said.

Friday, the 15-year-old girl, accompanied by her father, allegedly admitted selling the boy five to eight pills of hydrocodone Wednesday for "$10 or $15." She was prescribed the pain medication following surgery on her thumb, White said.

He said the prescription of 40 pills was filled April 26 and the bottle recovered by investigators Friday contained five pills.

She allegedly told police she had no idea the boy was planning suicide, and that she'd been giving him pills from her prescription since she'd filled it. The girl's name is being withheld because she is a minor and could be charged with a crime.

White said the girl was suspended Friday from school for four days.

Hydrocodone is a highly addictive painkiller that is nearly as potent as morphine for pain relief. There were 592 hydrocodone-related deaths in 2001 and 618 in 2002, according the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency.

In recent years, hydrocodone abuse has increased. Data suggests the most likely hydrocodone abuser is a white female, age 20-40 years, who abuses the drug because she is dependent on the drug or is trying to commit suicide, according to the DEA.

n Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.