Two Sequoyah Middle School students were expelled, arrested and booked into the King County Youth Service Center on April 13 after they allegedly poured ipecac into their teacher’s coffee.
Ipecac syrup is a medicine that causes vomiting.
A 13-year-old boy told officers that a 14-year-old brought the ipecac to school and suggested that they put it in their teacher’s drink. The 13-year-old was angry because the teacher kept sending him to the office for things he didn’t do, according to the police report.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed fourth-degree assault charges against the two students. If convicted as charged, the sentence range is 0 to 30 days in detention, up to 150 hours of community service and 0 to 12 months of community supervision. Arraignment is scheduled for April 17.
Background
The 13-year-old stated that both boys took turns pouring the liquid into the coffee. According to the report, the teacher asked the boys to go back to their seats, and the boys went to the bathroom to dispose of the ipecac bottle.
The teacher told police officers, who interviewed her at the hospital, that her coffee was cold and had a weird taste. She also stated that she felt uneasy about the kids because they were acting strange in the classroom. She said she suddenly felt sick at the end of class and had to go to the bathroom. She was able to drive herself to St. Francis Hospital. The teacher stated that she had experienced problems with the 13-year-old in the past and that he was disrespectful and defiant.
The 13-year-old stated that later during the next two periods, he twice saw the teacher walking quickly — once to the bathroom and again when she was leaving; he told officers he laughed on the inside. Another boy, who witnessed the tampering, said that he saw the boys twice pour something into their teacher’s coffee, ducking under the desk to pour in the ipecac. He said both boys were laughing and bragging about it afterward.
Charges and court appearances
The boys had their first court appearances on Tuesday, where a judge ruled that the 13-year-old could go home with a home monitoring device, while the 14-year-old was ordered to remain in custody.
The 14-year-old remains in detention due to a prior indecent exposure conviction, the prosecutors office said.
The school has sent a letter home to parents regarding the incident.
Names have not yet been released due to the age of the students.
The teacher was recovering at home.
Ipecac
In the past, ipecac was used to empty the stomach in the event of poisonings, especially in children. The drug was not effective in preventing poisonings an is not recommended by doctors, according to research by the National Capitol Poison Center. The center says it is not necessary to keep ipecac in the home.
