Arrests in laxative brownie case
Published 7:21 pm Tuesday, April 27, 2010
What might be considered a prank by some landed at least one person in the hospital.
Three Thomas University (TU) students were charged with disorderly conduct after making and serving brownies containing chocolate laxative.
The activity took place at a TU dorm on South Pine Tree Boulevard, according to a Thomasville Police Department (TPD) spokesman.
The TU official who reported the incident told police the students made brownies during a university cooking show in which participants were to make their favorite foods.
The laxative caused several people to experience problems into the next day. One person required hospital care, a TPD incident report shows.
Students experienced nausea, headaches, stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Those charged were:
• Tyler L. Patterson, 18, Lake City, Fla.
• Natarsha Lee Scott, 20, Miami, Fla.
• Jessica Nicole Owens, 22, Riverview, Fla.
The women each paid a fine of $250 in lieu of 40 hours of community service. The case was disposed of in Thomasville Municipal Court.
Patterson and Scott are members of TU’s girls soccer team. Owens previously played on the team, said Brewer Turley, TU director of communications.
Upon learning of the incident, TU officials contacted authorities and sought medical treatment for students affected by the food tampering, Turley said.
The university has judicial policies that guide officials in cases of student misconduct. Turley said the school could not say whether the students charged remain at the school or whether they continue to reside in the dorm.
“We have no tolerance for this type of behavior,” TU President Gary Bonvillian said. “The safety and well-being of our students is very important to us, and we make it a point to act swiftly in matters such as these.”
Police said about 20 students ingested the laxative-laced brownies.
Serious repercussions could have resulted if students who ate the tainted brownies had an allergy to the laxative or if it had caused an adverse reaction when combined with medication a student was taking, the police spokesman pointed out.
Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.
