A San Antonio, Texas, mother has been arrested after cops say she spiked a sports drink that was given to her son’s alleged bully at school.
Jennifer Lynn Rossi, 45, is charged with injury to a child for adding “a mixture of lemon, salt and vinegar” to a bottle of Gatorade that wound up sickening a fifth-grade student at Legacy Traditional School - Alamo Ranch on Tuesday, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
“Although, the contents of the drink were non-toxic, the incident resulted in a child being hospitalized. Hospital staff informed the investigator that the child victim required additional medical monitoring and would eventually be discharged from the hospital,” police said.
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Rossi told investigators her 10-year-old son had come home upset the day before, complaining that the older classmate had bullied him and stolen his drink, according to court documents. That’s when she responded that she “had an idea to prank” the alleged thief and keep other students from ever trying to steal his drink.
After giving her son the contaminated drink, cops say he gave it to the other boy during PE class, and that boy immediately began to feel sick and experience a headache after drinking it. Several other students also reportedly tried the drink but did not require hospitalization.
Rossi, who told investigators she was a nurse, insisted she knew the ingredients she’d added were not harmful and said she “only did it to stop the bullies at her son’s school.”
After being arrested and charged Tuesday, she has since bonded out and now awaits a pre-trial hearing in April. But many have questioned whether she ever should have been charged in the first place.
“Way to keep the streets safe guys! I know this is top priority right now in San Antonio,” one commenter wrote in response to the sheriff’s office announcement on social media.
“Why aren’t the parents not teaching their son to not be a bully,” another commenter argued, while still another said the incident should serve “to address rampant bullying.”
Others pointed out that school officials could not have known at the time exactly what substances had been added to the drink, perhaps leading them to fear the worst.
Legacy Traditional Schools issued a statement Wednesday saying Rossi’s son will also be disciplined for the incident. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our students, teachers and staff members. … The student who initially brought the drink to school will be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with Legacy policies governing student conduct,” the statement said.
