Middle Schoolers Face Charges after Lunchroom Incident

By Sam Thrift Wednesday, December 07, 2011

The James City County Police Department arrested five 8th grade girls from Hornsby Middle School for putting laxatives in another student’s milk during lunch Nov. 30.

Spokesman Greg Davy of the WJCC School Division wrote in an email that one student escorted the potential victim to the bathroom so another student could alter the drink in the victim’s absence. While in the bathroom, three other students at the table helped to conceal the drink by shaking the container, wiping it off and securing the cap.

According to Major Steve Rubino, a custodian who witnessed the group of girls put the purgative into the milk thwarted the students’ plan by preventing the victim from drinking the milk.

When the custodian told school staff about the incident, an officer from the JCC police department who works in the school was brought in to help with the investigation.

The mother of the targeted girl is pressing charges against the five girls, who were arrested for adulteration of a beverage. Adulteration of a beverage is a felony, described in Virginia code as “any person who adulterates any food, drink, prescription or over-the-counter medicine with the intent to kill or injure any individual who ingests, inhales or uses such substance.”

“We’ve done cases like this before, but it doesn’t happen that often,” Rubino said. “There are no indications that it was bullying because [the victim] indicated that she was friends with these students.”

Davy said all the students involved will receive disciplinary action appropriate to the infractions and will get due process of a hearing. He could not say until the hearing process plays out for all the students whether the division considers the incident to be bullying.

The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools Policies and Procedures Manual defines bullying as the “intentional repeated oppression, physical or psychological, which over time inflicts or threatens to inflict physical or emotional injury or discomfort upon another person’s body, feelings or possessions.”

“All WJCC schools have a zero-bullying policy,” Davy said.

Petitions are pending for the charges, according to Rubino.