OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – One of the four workers charged in the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion was back in court on Wednesday.
Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, the safety manager of the Oxford Center, virtually appeared before Oakland County Judge Maureen M. McGinnis for a hearing on Wednesday, March 26.
The safety manager is facing a second-degree murder charge after Thomas Cooper was killed when the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in at the Oxford Center in Troy exploded on Jan. 31, 2025.
The center’s founder and CEO, Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton, and its primary management assistant, Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor, have also been charged with second-degree murder.
Another employee, Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, who was allegedly operating the hyperbaric chamber, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Mosteller’s bond was discussed.
His court-appointed defense attorney, Alona Sharon, asked the judge for a personal bond with appropriate bond conditions, as Mosteller is unable to post bond.
She argued that Mosteller has no criminal history and said that they wouldn’t object to any of the bond conditions that the other defendants were given.
The judge said that, given the seriousness of the offense, just because there is no criminal history doesn’t mean the risk of flight isn’t possible, but said the court didn’t have a lot of information regarding Mosteller’s income or expenses at the time of his arraignment.
McGinnis lowered Mosteller’s bond from $250,000 to $50,000 cash/surety. If released, he must follow the same bond conditions that include the following:
- He must wear a GPS tether and can only leave his home for court, meetings with his attorney, medical appointments or verified employment.
- Employment can’t include anything that has to do with the Oxford Center or any entity that provides oxygen therapy treatments.
- Passport must be turned in within 24 hours of his release.
- He must not have any contact with the codefendants, the family of the victim, or any previous or current employees of the Oxford Center.
McGinnis said she wouldn’t consider a 10% provision for the bond she set.
Mosteller, Peterson, Marken and Moffitt are all scheduled to appear in court again on April 30.
You can watch the full hearing in the video below:
