Blake Barrone was going to start eighth grade at Berean Christian a private school in Rockford, Illinois. Most of his friends were at Bible camp, so he was hanging with his cousin Todd Trosper on the weekend of July 3-6th, 2004. Some friends of Trosper's stopped by, and all the boys started drinking rum and beer. Barrone got sick, and despite expert first aid, died.
Peers, coach mourn teen
The baseball team of Blake Barrone, who died of alcohol poisoning, struggles with the sudden loss.
ROCKFORD -- The kids who play baseball for the Gilley's Heating and Air Conditioning team are adding a black armband to their royal-blue-and white uniforms. For the rest of this season and all of next, the ballplayers will mourn 13-year-old catcher Blake Barrone, who died over the weekend after drinking alcohol with his cousin and two other teens.
Blake's death, one of two weekend incidents in which young teens were rushed to Rockford Memorial Hospital after drinking alcohol, shocked those who knew the popular Berean Christian School student and athlete.
Coach John Bogdonas, who recruited Blake to the Gilley's team of 13- and 14-year-olds because he was impressed by the boy's attitude and athleticism, paused to fight back tears as he talked about the kid who wore No. 7.
"I could go on and on about Blake. He was one of the younger players, but he was also one of the team leaders," Bogdonas said.
"His parents were right, in the obituary. He never met a stranger, he always had a hug to give. ... He was a great kid and a great athlete, a wrestler, a football player, all that."
Blake was one of 21 students in his seventh-grade class at Berean Christian, a private school with an enrollment of about 300.
"He was just a very good kid," said school Administrator George Stille, who has known the Barrone family since Blake first came to the school at age 3. "He didn't tend to ever get in trouble."
Winnebago County Sheriff's Department investigators say Blake spent most of Friday skateboarding with his cousin, 19-year-old Todd Trosper, at Trosper's parents' home in the 9900 block of River Bend Road in Roscoe.
Sometime during the evening, two of his cousin's friends, David Dwyer Jr. and Jared Hook, stopped by. They started drinking Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and Budweiser.
Winnebago County Sheriff Chief Deputy Roger Costello said Blake got sick, and the teens took him to his house on Orchard Lane, where an off-duty West Suburban firefighter saw the boys and tried to help as they called 911. Blake was rushed to Rockford Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said an autopsy was performed Tuesday and the findings are consistent with alcohol poisoning. Fiduccia is going to meet with the team this week to talk about Blake’s death and help Bogdonas answer any questions the kids might have.
“I’m going to say exactly what happened and why,” Fiduccia said. “I’ll just answer their questions and tell them that, yes, this can happen to you.” And to parents: “The families have got to know who their children are with and what they are doing. They need to talk about this case. They need to know.”
Trosper, Dwyer, 19, and Hook, 18, all of Roscoe, were arrested Saturday on unlawful alcohol consumption charges. The crime is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to $2,500 in fines and jail time. Costello said sheriff’s investigators were finishing up additional reports on the incident Tuesday. Those reports will be the basis of the decision by the Winnebago County state’s attorney’s office whether to upgrade or add to the charges the teens face.
“That is probably the extent of the arrests, unless we find out who sold them or gave them the alcohol,” Costello said. Court documents filed with the charges state that each defendant admitted to police that he had been drinking rum or beer.
Associate Judge Robert Coplan of the 17th Circuit Court set bond at $10,000. All three men posted 10 percent of their bond as bail and were released. No further court dates have been set.
All three defendants are recent graduates of Hononegah High School.
Dwyer and Trosper have no criminal histories in Winnebago County beyond traffic charges.Hook has traffic charges and pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property in April 2003. He was placed on court supervision for a year and was ordered to pay $250 in fines for damaging mailboxes in the 7600 to 8000 blocks of Burr Oak Road in Roscoe. In exchange for his guilty plea, a charge for possession of drug paraphernalia was dropped. Hook’s court supervision ended three months ago.
Meanwhile, sheriff’s investigators also were looking at another instance of alcohol abuse Friday that involved a 14-year-old girl.
Costello said the victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital after she apparently did some shots of Bacardi rum with friends she met at the Winnebago Days celebration. “She was comatose when she was taken to the hospital,” Costello said. “She was in stable condition Saturday afternoon.” No charges have been filed in that case.
Stille said many of Blake’s classmates were in Mount Morris for a weeklong Bible camp. Some will come home early for the boy’s funeral. Bogdonas said the Gilley’s team will be there, too. “My son, Ben, is the team’s pitcher. He’s like a lot of the kids right now,” Bogdonas said. “He can’t go to the visitation. It’s too hard for him right now. He’ll be at the funeral for sure.”
Fiduccia is one of several guests Bogdonas hopes to have out to talk to the team. He’s inviting counselors and parents. “I’ve been coaching since 1974, and I’ve never had to handle something like this,” he said. “I’m not equipped to handle this.”
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In all cases, my deepest condolences to family and friends.
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol
depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing,
the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of
alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops
drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach
continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system.
The victim may experience the following:
- Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
- No response to pinching the skin
- Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
- Seizures
- Slowed breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
- Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention
Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:
- Drinking black coffee
- Taking a cold bath or shower
- Walking it off
The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.
These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:
Taylor Webster's memorial foundation. Taylor died of alcohol poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working to get the message out, telling their stories and providing information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.
Bradley McCue's memorial foundation. On November 5, 1998 Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died that night of alcohol poisoning.
Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy." The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.
Gordie Bailey's memorial foundation Mission: to provide today’s youth with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, and through education and promotion of self worth prevent alcohol poisoning, binge drinking and hazing.
Kimberly Ostien's memorial foundation: "With binge drinking on the rise, we feel it necessary to get the message out on the danger of alcohol, especially excessive alcohol consumed in a short period of time. Students are educated on drugs and alcohol but they will continue to experiment no matter what. We want to educate on what to do when a friend falls down or passes out from drinking. Often we want to put that person to bed to sleep it off and that is when the trouble can begin." The card lists the information, above.
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