Police: Boy's Blood Alcohol Level 3 Times Legal Limit
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A 15-year-old Beaver County boy had to be flown to Children's Hospital Wednesday after a passerby found him in some woods with what police say was a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
"You could tell he was breathing, but he was not responding to anything," said Lou Anne Fritzley, a neighbor who called 911.
Fritzley found the teen in the woods near her home in Franklin Township after someone knocked on her door telling her to call for help.
"We walked back here, and I mean you could smell, you could smell alcohol," she said. "He was lying in a mud puddle, and it was quite scary to see that."
Police say beside the teen lay a one liter vodka bottle. It was empty.
"If it wasn't for bystanders who were walking towards a creek area to go fishing, this boy would not have been located," said Lt. Brian Speer, of Franklin Township Police.
Police are now looking for answers.
"We're going to find out who is responsible for giving the boy the alcohol," said Lt. Speer. "Our concern is, you know, we have a 15-year-old boy that was found in the woods. His blood alcohol level was over three times the state legal limit."
Police do know that the boy, who lives with his grandparents, left home around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and he was found unconscious just before 5 p.m.
"His condition has improved overnight," said Lt. Speer. "Sometime overnight he has become conscious and he is speaking to family members."
Police plan to talk to the teen, who has not been identified.
They say he should be released from the hospital in the next couple of days.
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