Police: 13-Year-Old Girl Charged After Allegedly Distributing Sleeping Aid To Classmates
By Walt Hunter and Crystal Cranmore
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia police have charged a 13-year-old girl for distributing a sleeping aid to classmates after several students reported feeling ill, according to authorities.
Police say just after 9 a.m., seven seventh grade students from the H. A. Brown Elementary School in Kensington were transported to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children after feeling sick. Two of the students have been admitted and will stay overnight.
"My daughter is in their sick. Her heart rate keeps going up and down. She passed out," said Marisol Cruz, the mother of one of the students admitted to the hospital.
Eyewitnesses say the children looked woozy and had to be assisted outside of the school.
HAZMAT crews, fire officials and medics responded to the scene initially thinking it may have been an environmental issue that sickened the children.
However, police later determined the children ingested Ambien, a sleeping aid, and possibly additional prescription medicine that was allegedly brought in by another unidentified student.
"Passed it on to my hand and I thought it was a candy or something and I just took it back and started chewing," said Sonia Cortez.
Authorities say the 13-year-old who allegedly passed out the pills is under arrest. Meanwhile, parents are outraged at how this could happen to their children.
"High blood pressure medicine, Advil, this little girl basically had her own pharmaceutical business going on in the school," said Silvia Vasquez, a mother of one of the victims.
