Dec 6, 2006 10:10 am US/Central
Teen Dies From CO Poisoning In North Branch
by Esme Murphy
North Branch, Minn. (WCCO) ―
A teenage boy died and his family was hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning they suffered Tuesday in a North Branch, Minn. home that they had moved into just a few days earlier.
Police said there might have been a sign hours earlier that something was seriously wrong in the home.
Authorities found the body of 17-year-old Andrew D. Carlson, in a lower level of the house Tuesday morning. The home did not have a carbon monoxide detector.
Family members felt sick when they woke up, police said. The home doesn't have a phone yet, so the family went to a nearby gas station to call 911 around 6:30 a.m.
Police said the father, Mitchell Carlson, had also left the house about 12:30 a.m. and drove to a different gas station, where he crashed into a pillar. He was extremely disoriented, so police arrested him for suspected driving under the influence.
"I'm laying money that it was carbon monoxide poisoning that made him act like he was in an intoxicated state," Police Chief Steve Forner said.
But Forner said Carlson didn't tell officers anything about his family being ill. He told them he had driven to the store to buy cigarettes, the chief said.
A breath test showed only a little alcohol in Carlson's system, so police took him to a hospital for a blood test for drugs. He was released at 3:30 a.m., pending the results of the test.
Carlson returned home at some point, and got his fiancée, Penny Pliscott, 43, and her sons Phillip Bartholemew, 11, and James Bartholomew, 12, out of the house after she told Carlson she was ill. They summoned police from a gas station, and Carlson told authorities he believed his son was dead.
The four were treated and released from Hennepin County Medical Center.
It remained unclear Tuesday night whether carbon monoxide poisoning kept Carlson from seeking help for his family early Tuesday or if he was not yet aware there was a problem.
It was also unclear what caused the carbon monoxide buildup or how long the family had been suffering from its effects. The odorless, colorless gas can be produced by malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces or water heaters.
Tributes to Andrew Carlson, a senior at Chisago Lakes High School, were being set up at the school and friends were also remembering him on his MySpace page.
"He was just the greatest person, he would do anything for anyone and the biggest sweetheart ever," said Breanna Aronson, a friend of Andrew Carlson.
Andrew Carlson was an avid hunter and fisherman.
Aronson said Andrew Carlson was very proud of the fact he helped his father build that house. County records show Mitchell Carlson built the home himself.
It is not clear when the family moved into the house, but the permit for occupancy was issued Dec. 1.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
