Two Gillett students face felony charges after reportedly spraying a cleaning solution used to clean whiteboards in the soda bottle of their instructor.
Gavin Gilbertson and Hailey Brock, both 17, have been charged with being party to the crime of placing foreign objects in edibles and second-degree recklessly endangering safety for putting a couple of squirts of Expo cleaner in the drink of their instructor, Ray Johnson.
According to a criminal complaint, Johnson drank about half of the soda at lunch on Oct. 20 and was feeling fine. When he took another drink about an hour later, he complained that his throat and stomach were burning. The school nurse called for an ambulance and reported a staff member might have been poisoned. The incident was reported at 1:45 p.m.
Johnson was treated at a medical facility and the district administrator reported he returned to school the following day.
School administrators reviewed security video and determined Gilbertson and Brock were alone in the classroom before the rest of their classmates and Johnson returned from the small engines shop, where their class met previously. The soda had been left unattended on Johnson’s desk.
Gillett Police Chief Jess Keplinger stated in the criminal complaint the Mountain Dew had an odor of cleaning ammonia or smelling salts.
Police interviewed both students with their parents present, and the complaint states Brock told police it was her idea to spray Expo cleaner in the drink as a prank. According to the complaint, both students reported to police that Gilbertson opened the cap of the bottle of Expo, Brock squirted some spray into the soda and Gilbertson replaced the lid and put the cleaner back on Johnson’s desk.
Gilbertson was 16 at the time of the incident and was initially referred to Oconto County Department of Health and Human Services juvenile authorities. Gilbertson and Brock are scheduled to make initial appearances in Oconto County Circuit Court on Thursday. The charges against them were filed on Nov. 18.
If convicted of placing foreign objects in edibles, they face maximum penalties of three years, six months in prison and a fine of $10,000. The recklessly endangering safety charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $25,000.
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