The teen's dad, impaired by the gas, crashed his car. After he was arrested and treated at a hospital, he went home to find his son dead and the rest of the family suffering CO poisoning.
 
By Donna Halvorsen, Darlene Prois, & Joy Powell
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
Copyright 2006 Star Tribune
All Rights Reserved

To police, Mitchell Carlson appeared to be an intoxicated driver who crashed his car into a pillar at a Holiday gas station about three miles from his home in North Branch.

He had just gone out to buy cigarettes, he told the officer before he was taken to a hospital for a blood test and then to jail.

What police didn't know is that Carlson — and the rest of his family back at their brand-new home — were suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. By the time it was sorted out, 17-year-old Andrew D. Carlson was found dead in the house from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mitchell Carlson, who returned home after three hours in custody, was able to get the three family members out of the house.

The exact sequence of events early Tuesday is still unclear, including what Carlson did during the three hours between his release from jail at 3:30 a.m. and when he finally was able to summon help about 6:30 a.m.

It was unclear Tuesday night when Andrew died and whether an earlier response would have made a difference.

Mitchell Carlson, 47; his fiancee, Penny Pliscott, 43, and her sons Phillip Bartholomew, 10, and James Bartholomew, 12, were treated at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and released.

Exactly how the family's heating system — a high-efficiency propane furnace and outdoor wood-burning stove — malfunctioned is being investigated.

Authorities, family members and friends patched together this account of the events:

Carlson and his family had moved into the newly built chalet-style house on 412th Street in North Branch on Friday. A phone had yet to be installed, and there was no carbon-monoxide alarm, authorities said.

Over the weekend, the family became sick, but thought they had the flu, said Pliscott's brother, Ray Pliscott, of Osceola, Wis.

Carlson left the house just before 12:30 a.m. and drove three miles to a Holiday station, where he crashed his car. The clerk called police, and Sgt. Rick Sapp responded.

"He had slurred speech, poor balance, a hard time understanding instructions," Sapp recalled Tuesday night. "Just like any other controlled-substance DWI."

Carlson didn't say anything about his family being ill and didn't appear ill himself, Sapp said. Carlson told Sapp that he'd had a beer at supper, and he was very cooperative.

Sapp said he asked Carlson whether he had diabetes or other medical problems. He gave Carlson a breath test, which registered a tiny amount of alcohol — much less than would account for Carlson's disoriented state, North Branch Police Chief Stephen Forner said.

"I'm laying money that it was carbon monoxide poisoning that made him act like he was in an intoxicated state," Forner said.

Sapp, a seven-year veteran of the police force whom the chief described as "conscientious," called a State Patrol drug recognition expert.

At Wyoming Fairview Hospital, a blood test was done. Mitchell was taken to the Chisago County jail, booked at 1:22 a.m. and released to "a responsible party" at 3:30 a.m.

Carlson's car had been towed; Sapp said he didn't know who picked up Carlson.

It's unclear how or when Carlson got home, but about 6:30 a.m., he, his fiancee and her two sons drove to a Conoco station about seven miles from their home. Mitchell Carlson called for help, saying he believed his 17-year-old son was dead in the house.

Ambulances rushed to the Conoco station and to the home. Forner and Sapp found Andrew, known as Andy, dead in a downstairs bedroom.

The law enforcers were forced to leave the house after a few minutes, because tests showed CO levels were dangerously high.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced whenever fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal is burned. It can reach hazardous levels when appliances are used improperly or are not functioning adequately.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen within minutes and is responsible for more deaths than any other poison. It can affect a person slowly in low levels, cause permanent neurological damage in moderate levels or kill in higher levels.

Later Tuesday, Sapp and other emergency responders were having blood tests to make sure that they did not have abnormal levels of carbon monoxide.

Sapp was taking comfort in the thought, as he began another shift Tuesday night, that if Mitchell Carlson had not left the house and stayed away for several hours, the entire family could have died.

Relatives said that Andy attended Chisago Lakes High School.