14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-Freon may be the new high

Freon may be the new high

By Becky Graham - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Sarah Harlan - email

GIBSON CO., IN (WFIE) - There's a new way some teens are getting high in the Tri-State: huffing freon.  

In Gibson County, several teens have been caught and may be facing charges for stealing freon in Oakland City.  

A year ago, Ray Sforza learned about freon huffing from a heating and air conference and didn't think it would catch on with teens in Oakland City, but one thing was clear, it's dangerous.

"There's no do-overs on this one," Quality Climate Control owner Sforza said. "If they do too much they're dead."

It seemed like an average house call, but when HVac technician Ray Sforza arrived at one Oakland City home, there was no leak, just missing service caps and an empty tank of freon.

"I thought it vandalism at first, but then I had just read an article about teenagers doing huffing in different parts of the country," Sforza said. "Well, I thought that's possible, but I didn't see any signs of anything they had put the refrigerant in."

Over the next month, Sforza received 10 more calls, all of them from clients claiming to have the same problem. That's when he called the police.

"He felt there were possibly there were some kids huffing the freon," Oakland City Police Department Chief Alec Hensley said.

Hensley said his information checked out. Teens were taking the fill caps off the AC units to access the freon for a quick high, an action Sforza said has life-altering circumstances.

"There's a danger of chemical burns, frost bite, it can blind you if it gets in your eyes," Sforza said. "It's not something to play with, and inhaling it can cause complete respiratory failure."

These dangers are why Sforza uses special tools, and wears gloves and eye wear when installing the freon in a new unit.

So what should homeowners do to keep themselves from becoming victimized?

"Well I think that locking units will be one way of keeping them from getting into the units easily and from destroying them," Hensley said.

Those locking units can easily save the homeowner a $200 house call from Sforza, but the chief said it's up to parents to do their part too.

"I think one of the biggest things we can do as parents is be involved in our kids' lives," Hensley said. "I think it's one of the biggest preventions we can have."

There are several places in Evansville you can get locks for your AC unit: John Stone Supply, Gustav Larson, and United Refrigeration.

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