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