Powdered Sugar Prank Lands UM Student Behind Bars
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – University of Miami student Jonathan Harrington admits his idea to use powdered sugar to prank his resident advisor at his college campus apartment was not the brightest idea.
"Why on earth would you decide to pull this prank?" CBS4's Natalia Zea asked Harrington.
"I guess I have more time than sense. My older brother says I was poking the bear which is true," said Harrington.
But even after a recent misdemeanor charge for minor pot possession back in April, he felt the urge to make light of the routine security checks the R.A.'s conduct in his building. He poured powdered sugar on his kitchen counter and coffee table and cut it into lines.
With the confectionary powder in plain sight, next to a few aspirin pills Jonathan thought it was obvious this was a bad joke.
"I was like hey I guess you're here about this powdered sugar prank and they told me, nobody's laughing," he said.
Harrington still thought he'd walk away from the prank once police began using a cocaine field test on the powder, until police said it tested positive.
"After 20 minutes it turned blue. That's a felony, you're under arrest and they slapped cuffs on me," he said.
Harrington spent the next two days in a county jail charged with cocaine possession.
He bonded out, and found out the state dropped the charges against him, because the crime lab found that the coke in question is really meant for non-narcotic sweet treats.
However, knowing that the police field test gave a false positive result troubles Harrington deeply.
"I'm glad I got off easily, because some people have it worse...many people are pressured to plead out, to accept responsibility for something they may not have done," he said.
Harrington plans to move after getting into so much trouble in the on-campus apartment.
He told Zea he hopes one day to become a doctor, but first he has to get the cocaine charge on his record expunged.
The Coral Gables Police Department would not comment on this now-dropped case, or the false results from that drug testing kit.
