UPDATED: Wednesday, October 3, 2012 --- 8:20 a.m.
PORTAGE, Wis. (AP) -- Two men face reckless homicide charges in Columbia County after a 17-year-old died of a heroin overdose.
A criminal complaint says the teen, Jake Adler, and 18-year-old Lars Atkinson, of Lodi went to Madison July 12 to buy drugs. They gave 22-year-old Milton Moore, of Fitchburg, $75 for a-half gram of heroin. After injecting themselves with heroin, Atkinson and Adler returned to Lodi.
The complaint says Atkinson told police he put Adler, who was asleep, on a couch and tried to wake him up. He then dragged him to an upstairs bedroom. When he awoke the next morning, Atkinson again tried to wake Adler, then dragged him to the patio.
Prosecutors say Atkinson brushed off an offer for help from two city workers. The State Journal says those workers called emergency responders.
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Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com/wsj
Copyright 2012: Associated Press
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UPDATED: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 --- 10:45 p.m.
Two men are charged with reckless homicide in the death of a 17-year-old in Lodi.
In July, Jake Adler died of a heroin overdose. According to police, he traveled with friends to buy drugs in Madison, and fell asleep on the way back. Still asleep hours later, back in Lodi Lars Atkinson tried to revive Adler by slapping him and with loud music, without success.
Police say Atkinson placed Adler on the porch, but did not call for medical help for nine hours. Adler died at the scene when he could not be revived by paramedics.
Police say Milton Moore was the dealer in Madison. He and Atkinson are due in court later this month, and both face a possible 40-year sentence and fine, or both.
Tom Adler, Jake's father, says he thinks Atkinson could have prevented Jake's death. "We just celebrated on the 22nd of September was Jake's 18th birthday," he said. "A bunch of his friends made birthday cake and we had a regular birthday but we were missing Jake, and I see Lars this weekend hanging out, smoking cigarettes, and drinking Mountain Dew and being at Kwik Trip, while my son is in a morgue."
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Posted Friday, July 13, 2012 --- 3:00 p.m.
From NBC15's News Partner, Lodi Enterprise:
Lodi Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old Lodi teen Thursday morning.
According to Lodi Police Chief William Laughlin, police responded Thursday, July 12 at 8:17 a.m. to a home on the 300 block of N. Hill Street for a report of a man passed out in a yard.
Upon arrival, police located the victim in respiratory distress. Lodi Area Emergency Medical Services was summoned to the scene. The victim, Jake T. Adler, age 17 of Lodi did not have a pulse and was not breathing.
Adler was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Lodi Police were assisted at the scene by Lodi Area EMS, Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Columbia County Medical Examiner's Office, and the Lodi Department of Public Works.
