OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The founder and CEO of an Oakland County health care facility, who is charged with the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion, was released from jail after a bond violation.
Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton, and three other workers were charged after Thomas Cooper was killed when the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in exploded at the Oxford Center on Jan. 31, 2025. The boy’s mother was also injured in the explosion.
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Peterson appeared in court on Monday, Sept. 30, for two reasons.
One was regarding the potential use of some testimonies being done remotely. The judge ruled that telecommunications can be used for exam purposes only.
The second reason she appeared in court was because of a bond violation.
In April, Peterson posted a $2 million bond. One of the conditions of her bond was to surrender all firearms to the court, including constructive or actual possession.
She reportedly kept a gun and sold it over the summer.
Peterson waived a hearing and pleaded guilty to the bond violation.
“I failed to notify the court of a firearm that I constructively possessed with my husband,” Peterson said. “It was sold rather than surrendered to the court.”
“You were not to have any possession or control over weapons or firearms, and if it came to your attention that you had these or had the ability to constructively possess a weapon, you were to notify your attorney and to notify the court immediately so that it could be surrendered,” said Judge Maureen M. McGinnis. “It causes me some concern because from my perspective, out of all of the things that have been placed upon you in terms of conditions, this one seems to me the easiest to comply with.”
A motion to modify bond was also denied.
McGinnis sentenced Peterson to two days in jail. However, according to the Oakland County Jail inmate logs, she was released just after midnight on Oct. 1. It’s not clear why she was released early.