Anderson boy almost died from alcohol poisoning

Police detectives last week were close to wrapping up a probe into a teenage drinking party on Halloween that almost claimed the life of a 14-year-old Anderson boy.

The boy's mother, Jackie Bell of Anderson, said it's a miracle her son, Jon, is still alive.

"It is by the grace of God that he is still here with us today," she said.

Webb said the preliminary investigation shows that several teens and possibly some adults gathered at the residence to watch the football game and that alcohol was distributed there. He said he did not know how many teenagers were at the party. Following the completion of the police investigation, he said, a report may be submitted to the Shasta County District Attorney's Office for possible prosecution.

Jackie Bell said Monday that her son was discharged from Mercy Medical Center the day after he nearly died and still suffers from recurring headaches.

He had gone out walking with friends on Halloween night, she said.

"He's a good kid," she said. "I usually have a pretty good rein on him."

As Jon and his friends passed the Martha Street residence, she said, they asked those inside the home, whom they knew, if they knew the score of the football game. The game, they were told, was on TV there and they were invited inside to watch, she said.

"I had no idea he was there," Bell said, saying she would not have approved her son being at that residence.

Bell said she was told there were about 16 people at the party, including six adults.

"To my knowledge, this was his (her son's) first time drinking and hopefully his last," she said in a widely distributed e-mail, adding that the teens drank rum and that her son had seven to 10 shots.

Two of his friends, however, were not drinking at the party and had the sense to get him home, she said in the e-mail.

"They walked him two miles or better across town to get him here," Bell wrote, adding that her son collapsed immediately after arriving home about 10 p.m. and that he stopped breathing.

"I truly believe had they not got him here, he would have laid somewhere and died, one from the fact his breathing stopped or by choking on his own vomit," she said in the e-mail.

Bell said emergency personnel were called and her son was rushed to the hospital.

She said her son was extremely lucky and that it appears there will be no side effects or any long-term damage.

Bell said she is making her son's story public so parents can educate their children about the dangers of drinking, adding that adults need to be responsible and held accountable.

Also, she said her son hopes that others will learn from his mistake.

"There needs to be more awareness," she said. "If his (Jon's) story can save one kid, then what he went through will be worth it."

Michael Woodward contributed to this article.