Student slips laxative pills into teacher’s coffee; school officials not laughing

An eighth-grade student at Jack G. Desmond Middle School in Madera has been suspended after reportedly putting laxative or diruretic pills into a teacher’s coffee drink when she wasn’t looking.

Madera police said the incident took place Monday and was reported to police Tuesday.

A school officer investigated and learned that the teacher had a cup of coffee that had gotten cold, so she poured it out and saw several pills in the sink. There were eight pills.

“It appeared they didn’t dissolve,” said Sgt. Mark Trukki.

She reported it to the principal, and the next day the school called police.

Students said they saw a boy with pills, and when police asked him about it he confessed, Trukki said. The pills were over-the-counter laxative or diuretic pills, he said.

It’s possible that the student violated Penal Code Section 347 – poisoning food or drink. The case has been turned over to juvenile probation for review, which could submit it to the District Attorney’s Office.

“It appears he was playing a joke or a prank,” Trukki said. “It could be a criminal matter.”

The boy has been suspended from school, he said.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Student slips laxative pills into teacher’s coffee; school officials not laughing."