OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The CEO and founder of the Oakland County health care facility where a 5-year-old boy was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion is the only one of the four workers charged to remain in jail.
Thomas Cooper was receiving treatment inside a hyperbaric chamber at the Oxford Center in Troy on Jan. 31, 2025, when it exploded, killing him.
Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton, was charged with second-degree murder. She was also given an alternative count of involuntary manslaughter, which means a jury will determine which charge applies to her conduct.
She was issued a $2 million bond and is currently the only one of the four workers charged who hasn’t posted bond.
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The center’s primary management assistant, Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor, and safety manager, Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, also received the same charges as Peterson.
Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, who prosecutors say was operating the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records.
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Marken, who was given a $250,000 bond, and Moffitt, who was given a $100,000 bond, both posted bond and were released earlier this month.
Mosteller initially received a $250,000 bond, but that was lowered to $50,000 during a hearing last week. Records show that he has since posted bond and was released on Monday, March 31.
All defendants must follow similar bond conditions, including having no contact with the victim’s family or the codefendants. They also cannot return to the Oxford Center or any facility that provides oxygen therapy treatments, and they had to turn in their passports.
They were also ordered to wear GPS tethers, and can only leave their homes for meetings with their attorneys, medical appointments and verified employment.
All four defendants are scheduled to appear in court for another probable cause conference on April 30. A second one was set due to the amount of discovery that needs to be reviewed in the case.
