Man Charged, Students Suspended After Drug-Tainted Brownies Consumed On Campus
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Ten students have been suspended from Miami Coral Park Senior High School after Schools Police say they knew what they were buying: brownies laced with drugs.
"In this case, they knew what they were purchasing," said Miami-Dade Schools Police Sgt. Ivan Silva. "From the information that was given by the man arrested, the brownies were laced with synthetic-type marijuana. They were sold for $12 a brownie."
Silva told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that 22-year-old Dionisio "Dio" Lockridge confessed to making the brownies at his Lakewood Villas condominium at 7829 Miller Drive. An arrest report says the brownies were laced with K-2 spice.
Neighbors at the complex said Lockridge and a roommate moved into the apartment about a month ago.
Neighbor Danny Crespo said he noticed, "Just a lot of partying during the week but nothing really to arouse my suspicion."
Ana, who didn't want to give her last name, said she noticed a lot of young people hanging out on the deck, but never realized anything like this could happen.
"It's crazy it's really really crazy," she said, adding, "I have kids of my own that go to school and it's just crazy how all these things are happening in the schools."
Silva said Schools Police found what they believe was marijuana, cocaine and "brownies packaged for sale" as well as $1300 in cash.
The arrest report said Lockridge waived his rights and admitted to selling the brownies to a student from Braddock Senior High School who then gave the brownies to his girlfriend so she could sell them at the school.
Lockridge came before a Judge in bond court who set bond at $35,000 and ordered him to stay away from Miami Coral Park High School. Lockridge is charged with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of cocaine and Xanax.
His attorney, Erick Cruz, said he objected to the charges against his client.
"In fact the officer who tested was unable to find any evidence of marijuana in the brownies," he said.
The report says there are three co-defendants who are juveniles and Silva said more arrests are possible.
"Our concern is that parents should tell their kids about what they should or should not eat in situations like this," said Silva.
Eleventh-grader Arlet Soto told D'Oench that her boyfriend's sister got sick after eating a brownie.
"She ate a brownie and there were drugs in it," Soto said. "It was weed and she fainted."
Silva said the brownies that were confiscated were being checked to see if they contained other drugs. On Thursday, several students said the brownies contained ecstasy.
"There was a girl I saw who had bleeding in the ears and she was really sick," said another student, Kipenia Zirio.
"I saw students throwing up and on the floor and they were not feeling good," said Danivellis Torres. "They put us in the cafeteria during this situation and then they started getting rid of some of the cafeteria food. It was horrible."
Torres's mother, Noris Bell, told D'Oench that kept her daughter home from school on Friday and was considering withdrawing her because of some previous problems that she had encountered as well.
Torres said, "I didn't want to go back to school today because all they would say is that nothing happened and there were a lot of kids who were ill. I don't want to be back in that environment."
"I want to know what the Principal says," she said. "How did this happen and what is going to be done about this," said Torres.
"It is upsetting that kids were hurt because other kids are not as smart as they should be," said Torres. "What kind of security do they have in place that would allow people selling brownies like this on the inside."
"It's important for parents to speak out because of what can happen to their kids," she said.
