The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Students arrested for passing prescription drugs to classmates

Middletown police reports
New 8 min. ago
Can you ID this woman?
3:25 p.m.
Ohio leaders preparing defense of bases amidst closures
10:59 a.m.
Pentagon to allow women to serve near front lines
9:17 a.m.
Franklin may leave joint EMS group
8:24 a.m.
> More headlines

By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer Updated 5:12 PM Thursday, September 2, 2010

DEERFIELD TWP. — Two Kings High School students are facing felony charges for allegedly handing out prescription drugs to their classmates.

The students were arrested today, Sept. 2, after four students — two male seniors, one male sophomore and one female sophomore — became ill after taking another student’s prescription medication. Complaining of confusion and dizziness, the teens were transported to Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus, according to Lindsay Braud, Kings spokeswoman.

The incident reportedly happened when a male sophomore on a school bus gave several pills to a male senior, who swallowed one and doled out the rest to three sophomores and one senior, she said.

One of the sophomores reportedly threw away the medication he was given, Braud said.

The sophomore who brought in the pills and the senior who distributed them were arrested and charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs, a fourth-degree felony, according to Matt Nolan, Warren County assistant prosecutor.

“There are no charges yet for the students who took the drugs, but the investigation is ongoing,” Nolan said.

Shortly after the students were transported to the hospital, Warren County Sheriff’s deputies brought drug-sniffing dogs to the high school. The discarded pills were recovered by school administrators.

“What brought this to everybody’s attention ... there was one sophomore girl in the hall who was confused and kind of disoriented,” Braud said. “She admitted that she had taken something, and once they questioned her, they found out that it was the senior male who gave it to her, and he said it was the sophomore male who gave him the pills.”

In a 911 call, dispatchers asked a school nurse if the drug was in pill or powder form.

“She said she took an Adderall (a brand-name stimulant), but she’s not acting like she took an Adderall,” the nurse said. “She said some other kid gave her something this morning. She’s real weak and sleepy, so I’m not thinking it was an Adderall.”

Sale, distribution, possession, use of or having consumed drugs, anabolic steroids, alcohol, controlled substances, inhalants or counterfeit drugs is classified as a Category 5 offense in the Kings student code of conduct, Braud said.

The consequence for violating the rule is a 10-day out-of-school suspension with a recommendation for expulsion, she said.

Share this article