MAN CHARGED IN NITROUS OXIDE INHALATION

Dental Supply Store Owner Was Disoriented, Had Tank Of Laughing Gas, Police
Say

Waukesha - A New Berlin dental supply store owner stole a tank of nitrous
oxide from a dentist and inhaled it for two hours before police found him
slumped and dazed in his office, said a criminal complaint filed Thursday.

Eric F. Packard, 53, told officers that he has been inhaling nitrous oxide
mixed with oxygen for "many years" when he wants to go to a "peaceful place
for a while," according to the complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit
Court.

The complaint charged Packard with one count of possession of nitrous oxide
with intent to inhale. If convicted, he would face a maximum penalty of
nine months in jail.

Packard, who could not be reached for comment at his home or office, was
summoned to appear in court Nov. 1.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called to a business next door to the Eric F. Packard Co.,
16304 W. Glendale Drive, in New Berlin, the morning of Sept. 8. Concerned
employees of the adjacent business told police that they had heard someone
"moaning" for more than an hour from inside Packard's office.

Concerned that someone may be injured, police officers repeatedly called
out but received no response. They walked through an unlocked door that
separates the two businesses.

Hearing moaning from an office, police tried to get the attention of the
person inside but no one answered. They began to push the door and suddenly
heard commotion. After about a minute, a man pulled away a chair that had
been blocking the door and opened it.

That man, who police said was Packard, was described as being disoriented,
confused and unstable. His face was "extremely red," his clothes
disheveled, the complaint says.

Officers saw a 4-foot-tall canister of nitrous oxide, several 2-foot-tall
canisters of oxygen, and tubes connecting the tanks to a small inhaler mask.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is an anesthetic that physicians
and dentists use during surgery.

A July 1998 state law now makes it illegal to inhale, possess or deliver
nitrous oxide unless it is used for medical or dental purposes.

Packard told police that he had been inhaling a 50-50 mix of oxygen and
nitrous oxide continuously from 9 a.m. until officers arrived at 11 a.m.,
the complaint says.

Packard designs and installs office systems for dentists. He told police
that while installing one system for a dentist and personal friend, he took
a full tank of nitrous oxide and replaced it with an empty tank, the
complaint says.

Assistant District Attorney Brad Schimel said the dentist later called
police to report the stolen nitrous oxide and was told that her friend had
taken it. She did not want to press charges for the theft, Schimel said.