KENOSHA TEEN DIES TRYING TO SWALLOW BAGS OF DRUG

Kenosha - A 19-year-old man died Wednesday after trying to swallow three
golf ball-sized bags of crack cocaine as he was being questioned by a
police officer, authorities said.

Dectreise Spann of Kenosha was pronounced dead at Kenosha Hospital &
Medical Center shortly after being taken there by a rescue squad,
authorities said.

According to police and fire officials:

An officer patrolling a neighborhood in Kenosha saw Spann riding a bicycle
at 12:39 a.m. The officer, believing the bicyclist might be young enough to
be in violation of the city's juvenile curfew, turned his squad car around,
pulled alongside Spann and asked his name.

Instead of answering, Spann turned his head and appeared to put something
in his mouth, then got off his bike and fled on foot. The officer later
caught up to Spann and ordered him to open his mouth, but he didn't.
Spann's breathing became more labored, and he still wasn't speaking, so the
officer, believing Spann had swallowed something, called for a rescue squad.

By the time paramedics arrived five minutes later, Spann was unresponsive.

Using specialized equipment, the paramedics quickly removed two plastic
bags from Spann's throat but had to spend more time retrieving a third bag.

While en route to the hospital, Spann went into cardiac arrest. He was
pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after his arrival at 1:11 a.m.

At the time of his death, Spann who was unemployed, had been on probation
for a 1999 burglary conviction, according to Department of Corrections
supervisor Brian Brown. In 1998, while living with an uncle in Eau Claire,
Spann was convicted of dealing marijuana, Brown said.

Although he spent time in jail on several occasions, Spann was always able
to avoid prison, Brown said.