LAUGHING GAS THEFTS PROMPT INQUIRY

Police are recovering nitrous oxide tanks they think were stolen from
medical facilities for recreational use. Two arrests this week may
help solve numerous burglaries, an official says.

Sniffed from balloons, paper bags or small cylinders, it produces a
brief high with euphoria, giddiness and sometimes hallucinations. It
also can cause frostbite, nausea and decreased oxygen flow to the
body.

It is nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas," the drug that is creating
mounting burglary problems for law enforcement.

During the past several months, Clearwater police have investigated
seven burglaries at medical facilities, particularly dental offices,
in which nitrous oxide was stolen.

Last year, 25 to 30 burglaries or attempted burglaries related to
nitrous oxide were reported to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. In
Pinellas County last year, deputies investigated five hospital
burglaries, one break-in at a doctor's office and three dental
facility burglaries that resulted in the theft of nitrous oxide.

Over New Year's weekend, a burglar struck Countryside Surgical Center
at 3291 McMullen-Booth Road. Four large and two small nitrous oxide
tanks were stolen from the center's oxygen storage room after someone
kicked in an air vent.

Authorities got lucky Wednesday when two people wanted nitrous oxide
so much they risked a daytime burglary. Clearwater police arrested
two suspects about 1:30 p.m. after a witness reported a burglary at a
dental office near Coachman Road and Drew Street.

Burglary Detective Ben Sturgis said Michael L. Murphy, 19, of 3780
Windber Blvd. in Palm Harbor and a 17-year-old boy were arrested.
Officers stopped their white Chevrolet after the burglary. A tank of
nitrous oxide was in the car.

"Apparently they ran out of nitrous oxide and had to go get more,"
Sturgis said. "They wanted it badly enough to burglarize the office
while it was open. When the arrests were made, (Murphy) had a bag of
balloons in his pocket. He was ready to go."

Sturgis said the two arrests may solve numerous burglaries involving
nitrous oxide. Murphy, who was arrested in Tampa on Jan. 2 for the
same type of burglary and released on bail, was charged with grand
theft and burglary. He was being held at Pinellas Jail in lieu of
$15,000 bail.

The boy, also charged with burglary and grand theft, was taken to the
Juvenile Assessment Center.

On Friday, the sheriff's dive team began hauling empty nitrous oxide
cylinders out of Lake Tarpon. By late afternoon, six blue steel tanks
had been recovered from the lake near Presidents Landing. St.
Anthony's Hospital was stamped on at least one tank.

Sturgis said detectives learned after Wednesday's arrests that the
lake was a disposal site for used nitrous oxide cylinders stolen in
burglaries.

"We found out that was where they dumped the tanks when they got
finished using them," he said. "From our investigation, we believe
they were taking nitrous oxide for their own use. They were using it
at rave parties and selling some to friends.

"It's not a crime to have nitrous oxide," he said. "It's a crime to
use it, inhale it, as a drug."

Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. Greg Tita said nitrous oxide has become a drug
of choice for teenagers and young adults. Detectives have learned
that people are buying it for parties and paying $1 for a balloon or
paper bag filled with the gas, which is then inhaled. This is called
"huffing."

"It really has no street value because it's not that expensive," Tita
said. "It's a high that wears off pretty quickly."

When inhaled in its pure form, nitrous oxide can cause light-
headedness and loss of balance. Last summer, a teenage girl from
Pinellas Park died after inhaling nitrous oxide and falling near a
Tampa nightclub.

Medical-grade nitrous oxide, mixed with a certain percentage of
oxygen, is commonly used as an anesthetic by dentists. It usually is
mixed with oxygen because it deprives the body of oxygen. Industrial-
grade nitrous oxide is used to boost automotive engine power.

Some shops sell small nitrous oxide cylinders usually used for
dispensing whipped cream. Also available at some shops are crackers,
which are devices made to release gas from the cylinders into balloons.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, depriving the body
of oxygen can damage the heart and brain. The effects of long-term
use have not been determined because no studies have been performed.

Capt. Ken Dodge of the Tampa Narcotics Bureau said use of nitrous
oxide is difficult to regulate because it is not illegal to possess
it either in a tank or a balloon. As a test, detectives tried to buy
nitrous oxide to determine if it was being sold illegally.

"They wouldn't sell it to us," Dodge said. "They wanted to see our
professional regulation license. That was good to know."