Hyperbaric chamber explosion: Oxford Center CEO Tamela Peterson given $2M bond at arraignment
Oxford Center CEO held on $2M bond in death of 5-year-old boy
Tammi Peterson, the Oxford Center CEO charged in the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed when a bariatric chamber exploded, was arraigned on murder chargers and ordered held on a $2 million bond.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The CEO of the Oxford Center where a hyperbaric chamber explosion killed a 5-year-old boy faced a magistrate Tuesday, receiving a hefty $2 million bond with accusations of impeding the investigation, tampering with evidence and threatening witnesses.
Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton, is one of three employees charged with second-degree murder with an alternate charge of manslaughter, to be determined by the jury.
The backstory:
The hyperbaric chamber used by 5-year-old Thomas Cooper exploded in flames, killing him and severely injuring his mother on Jan. 31 at the Oxford Center in Troy.
Also appearing were Oxford Center employees Gary Marken, Jeffrey Mosteller, and Aleta Moffett. Marken and Mosteller were charged with second-degree murder with an alternate charge of manslaughter and received $250,000 bonds. An alternate charge means the jury can decide which charge fits the case if they are found guilty in deliberations.
Moffitt was charged with manslaughter and falsifying a medical chart, and received a $100,000 bond.
"In my mind (Peterson) is an individual that runs a business entity of making money and throwing safety and caution to the wind," said Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli.
FOX 2 learned last month that Cooper's family paid $8,000 for 40 oxygen therapy sessions for the little boy, and they were told that it would help his ADHD and sleep apnea. There is also no proven science backing oxygen therapy for the conditions listed on the Oxford Center's site, so insurance doesn't cover the treatment.
Related: Hyperbaric chamber explosion: Nessel charges Oxford Center CEO, three others in boy's death
Assistant Prosecutor Chris Kessel said that Peterson would be a potential flight risk because so many health treatments her center offered were non-traditional, families of patients usually had to pay in cash or check.
Kessel claimed Peterson had repeatedly interfered with the investigation - including even snatching her phone and running from a detective who asked for it, which he said was the "cherry on the sundae" of her actions.
Related: Hyperbaric chamber explosion: Oxford Center CEO 'repeatedly interfered' with investigation, evidence
Other allegations include her lying to investigators to alter video evidence, with cash on hand and family connections out of state and out of the country.
What they're saying:
"She has shown time after time she has no problem attempting to impede the investigation into her," he said.
Peterson's defense attorney Gerald Gleeson argued that there was no obstruction of justice charge against his client, which dispells the claims of her impeding the investigation.
He also said that the arrest warrant was dated March 4, with the arrest on March 7.
"If there was a flight risk they would have arrested her the same day," he said, adding that had Troy police contacted him ahead of time, they would have reported to court. "Apparently that wasn't good enough for the police department. Instead we're handcuffed in a box being recorded by the media."
Chiappelli brought up the alleged claims that the hyperbaric chamber in question was tampered with, making it appear safer than it was, allegedly at Peterson's direction.
She said she wasn't going to use the term "tragic" because the disregard of safety protocols increased the risk.
"Had the grounding line been employed, had the tally of cycles for this chamber not been altered - it read less than what it did in 2022, this child would be alive today," Chiappelii said. "What I can't get beyond, is a person who the allegations suggest would put a person at risk of harm by not adhering to safety protocols and tampering with this particular chamber."
Peterson was told she would turn over her passport and would be given a GPS tether with a steel cuff with home confinement if she makes bail. She was also ordered not to have any contact with the co-defendants, the victim's family or the Oxford Center.
‘A ticking time bomb’
The other three defendants include a manager described as Peterson's right-hand man, a facility safety manager and the operator of the hyperbaric chamber at the time.
Marken, 65, is a Spring Arbor resident and Peterson's management assistant.
"This defendant was involved in altering these machines that made them seem safer than what they were to the manufacturers and the patients," Kessel said. "This machine that the defendant was working on by rolling back those numbers in essence- and I hesitate to use this phrase - was making this machine a ticking time bomb."
Marken's defense attorney claimed he works at the Brighton facility and has not worked at the Troy facility in over three years and denied that he tampered with the chamber.
"If that unit is tampered with, it becomes a game of Russian roulette," the magistrate said. "My understanding is that he worked hand in glove with Peterson and shared an office at the Brighton location. If he were the person doing her bidding and turning these (hyperbaric chamber cycle counts) back, that would be a dangerous person in my purview."
Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, was the safety officer for the Oxford Center.
Kessel accused him of conducting his own experiments to hide the safety regulations being disregarded.
"The fact this defendant was the safety officer was something, considering how the facility was being run," the assistant prosecutor said.
The magistrate agreed, saying the details she had heard from the prosecution about safety protocols ignored were "frightening."
"I have concerns about you and your ability to participate in the criminal process going forward," she said. "I don't know what other judgment calls you would make, like not reporting to court. This case is too serious."
Moffitt 60, of Rochester Hills, the operator of the hyperbaric chamber and also the lone employee to only receive a manslaughter charge and medical record tampering charge.
Her reduced bond was a result of a bundle of letters written on her behalf, attesting to her character. Chiappelli paused court for 15 minutes to read through them before returning with the reduced bond.
Information for this story came from the charging press conference from the Michigan attorney general and the Oakland County court arraignment.
The Source: Information for this story came from the charging press conference from the Michigan attorney general and the Oakland County court arraignment.