3 students suspected of lacing candy with drugs, alcohol at Box Elder High


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BRIGHAM CITY — Police have identified three teenagers suspected of lacing gummy candies with alcohol or drugs, sending at least one classmate to the hospital.

Police were first alerted when a Box Elder High School student was taken to an area hospital last week, Brigham City Assistant Police Chief Dennis Vincent said. The boy reported he had been given three gummy worms at school that were laced with alcohol and Xanax.

"He became ill and his parents took him to the ER there," Vincent said. "He told his parents he had taken them, and that's what he was told they had been laced with. Whether he knew that at the time he took them, I don't know."

Though the issue appears to be isolated to the high school, Box Elder School District Superintendent Ron Tolman sent a note Friday to parents in the district alerting them to the issue and encouraging them to talk to their children.

The letter indicated that soft candies had been injected with alcohol and prescription medications and then repackaged in plastic bags to be given or sold to other students.

"Law enforcement is aggressively pursuing this and has provided us with critical information at this time," the letter states. "It is important to remind students to not accept candy or other substances that is not sealed in unbroken packages. This is also a good time to review your teachings and expectations regarding alcohol and drug use."

A resource officer has since identified three students at the school who may be connected to the doped candies, Vincent said. The trio could face criminal charges.

"At this point, it doesn't sound like they're being very straightforward with what they know," he said. "They're three pretty solid suspects, but the case still needs to be worked to be able to gather enough evidence to be able to charge them in court."

Any disciplinary action by the school district will be decided after the police investigation concludes, Tolman said.

Have any information on this case?
Contact Brigham City police at 435-723-5227

Police haven't identified any other students who may have received the laced gummies, Brigham City Police Chief Mike Nelson said. Likewise, locker searches at the school haven't turned up any of the candies, so police haven't been able to test any to see what was in them.

"If it's still going on, they're being much more cautious," he said.

This isn't the first time Brigham City police have dealt with drug- or alcohol-laced candies, according to Vincent. The practice is dangerous, he emphasized.

"It definitely concerns us that kids are taking them, especially if they don't know who they're getting them from," he said. "With those kinds of products, who knows how they're going to affect the person who is taking them."

Michael Roundy, a psychiatrist with McKay Dee Hospital, said mixing alcohol and Xanax and ingesting them in uncertain doses, like what could be given through the candies, can be dangerous. The amplifying effects of the two together could be especially harmful for teenagers who may not have been exposed to the substances before.

"They add together, and taken in enough of either one or both, it can slow things down to the point where you lose consciousness … or even it can decrease your drive to take breaths and breathe," Roundy said. "It's potentially dangerous, or even potentially deadly, if taken in enough quantity."

Parents have voiced appreciation for the school district notifying them of the issue, Tolman said. He applauded those Box Elder High students who have spoken to school officials about the issue.

"Even though it's limited and not a lot of people, it's just one of those things you kind of want to nip in the bud." Tolman said. "We just want students to know that when you see something and you say something, we can solve problems."

Anyone with information about the illicit candies is asked to contact Brigham City police at 435-723-5227.

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