Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/ Pubdate: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 Author: Jamaal Abdul-Alim of the Journal Sentinel staff COCAINE WAS A KILLER 34 TIMES LAST YEAR It was the most lethal drug among those that claimed lives by accidental overdose Just months before Clerk of Circuit Court Gary Barczak found himself in the spotlight in October for buying more than 12 grams of cocaine, the drug had already claimed the lives of a counselor to juveniles and a Milwaukee County social worker. Those two people, as well as five babies of cocaine-abusing mothers, were among the 34 people who died in accidental cocaine deaths in Milwaukee last year. The deaths did not draw much attention -- certainly not the kind of attention created by a public official such as Barczak getting caught just buying the drug. Nevertheless, the deaths give some insight into the impact the drug has in Milwaukee. According to the recently released Milwaukee County medical examiner's 1997 Activity and Statistical Report, cocaine alone was responsible for 27 -- or 45% -- of the 60 accidental drug deaths in 1997. "And, cocaine in combination with another drug, or drugs, claimed another seven lives in 1997," the report says. As a result, 57% of the accidental drug deaths were attributed to cocaine or a combination of cocaine and another drug. For comparison, 24 of the 37 accidental drug deaths in 1996 -- 65% -- were attributed to cocaine or a combination of cocaine and another drug. In 1995, 27 of 44 accidental drug deaths -- 61% -- were attributed to cocaine or cocaine and another drug. And, in 1994, 40 of 67 accidental drug deaths - -- 60% -- were attributed to cocaine or cocaine and another drug. In short, cocaine "continues to be the primary drug detected in drug deaths certified as accidental," the report says. The Journal Sentinel asked the medical examiner's office for more extensive information on the cocaine-related deaths than was in the report. That information shows that most of the accidental cocaine death victims in Milwaukee County last year were adult males in their 40s. The victims were single more often than married, and black more often than non-black. Most worked in service-oriented or low-skill jobs, usually involving manual labor. Two of the people who died from cocaine had careers in the field of social work. One of them, Gregory C. Kramoris, 50, worked as a Milwaukee County social worker and was responsible for managing outpatients at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex -- a job relatives said he "did not like." The other, James Binns, 49, had worked as a counselor at Children's Court. Binns apparently held the position until a cocaine injection he took with some friends in February 1995 left him in a vegetative state. Binns died in April 1997. Among the cocaine-abusing mothers whose babies were born prematurely, one woman gave birth to a premature boy on Christmas morning 1996. The boy, named Lamont Jones Jr., died later that Christmas Day -- just three hours after he entered the world with cocaine in his system. (His death is considered a 1997 case because the medical examiner's office did not learn about the case until early last year.) Another woman left her baby -- born long before the pregnancy had reached full term -- in a vacant lot at the corner of N. 24th and W. Center streets. in December. The baby was later discovered by two neighborhood children on their way to school. The mother has never been found. The records also gave some demographic information about the cocaine-related deaths. Age and gender: Among adult women, who represented just five of the deaths, the oldest was a 60-year-old forklift operator. The youngest woman was a 24-year-old nurse's assistant found in an alley on the north side. The oldest male was a 57-year-old disabled veteran who died at his residence at a public housing complex in the 1300 block of E. Kane Place. The man had suffered from a post-traumatic stress syndrome. The youngest man was a 27-year-old temporary service employee who died in the emergency room at St. Joseph's Hospital. The youngest victims overall, of course, were the five babies born prematurely because of their mother's cocaine abuse. One of those mothers had been pregnant only 22 of the normal 40 weeks when she gave birth. Marital status: Of the 29 adult victims, only six were married and one was a widow. The rest were either divorced, separated, or never married. Occupation: Most of the victims worked in manual labor, service-oriented or low-skill jobs. Several of the victims had occupations listed simply as "laborer," "handyman," or "maintenance worker." The victims included four welders, a molder, two machine operators, a security guard, a cab driver, a waitress, a salesperson, a janitor, a painter, a nursing home orderly and a couple of auto body repairmen. At least two of the victims were unemployed; one was disabled. Ethnicity: Black men, many of whom were in their 40s and worked those manual labor jobs, represented half of the county's cocaine death victims in 1997, even though black people as a whole represent less than one-third of the county population. One of the victims was Hispanic; the rest were white. Residence: Only two of the adult cocaine death victims resided outside Milwaukee. One was from Elm Grove, the other from Muskego. Both men, however, died while in Milwaukee. As for the babies, one came from a woman living in Greenfield; the other four were from Milwaukee women. Time and place: Nearly half of the accidental cocaine deaths in 1997 took place during weekends. Fourteen of the victims were pronounced dead at an area hospital, nine of those in an emergency room. One of the accidental cocaine deaths took place while the victim was in police custody. Isaac Guillermo, 30, a self-employed auto mechanic, died last April after he swallowed some cocaine in an attempt to hide it from police. District Attorney E. Michael McCann recently called that tactic, which he described as being fairly common, as a "fiercely dangerous" thing to do. McCann made the remark after an investigation into the death of Edward Sims, 25, who died in police custody earlier this month after he apparently swallowed an "eight ball" -- or an eighth of an ounce -- of cocaine. Authorities say Sims swallowed the cocaine in an apparent last-ditch attempt to hide the drug from police. Sims will be on the medical examiner's report next year. - --- Checked-by: Mike Gogulski