Student accused of drugging teacher who yelled at him

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida middle school student is accused of trying to poison his teacher Monday because she yelled at him.

Osceola County deputies said the 13-year-old Discovery Intermediate School boy dropped one of his prescribed clonidine pills into Danielle Jones’ coffee. Clonidine decreases the heart rate and relaxes the blood vessels so that blood can flow more easily through the body.

The student told investigators “he takes these pills to go to sleep so he wanted her to go to sleep,” the arrest report shows.

Twis Lizasuain of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said Jones felt sick and sleepy, and had gone home Monday.

Jones was “nauseous, very thirsty and couldn’t keep her eyes open,” the report shows.

Lizasuain said the teacher was fine Friday morning, but “she was upset about the incident.”

The student faces a first-degree felony for poisoning food with the intent to injure.

Investigators said word spread quickly around the school that the boy had drugged Jones. The school’s dean heard of the rumors and notified the school-resource officer, who is a sworn deputy with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

The resource officer questioned several students. The student accused of drugging the teacher admitted that he did it, saying he was getting back at Jones because she yelled at him. He also said other students witnessed him drugging her coffee.

Lizasuain said the student is at the juvenile detention center and is being held without bond.