Texas mom arrested for allegedly bringing vodka-spiked Jell-O shots to fifth grade school party
Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, is facing a felony count of injury to a child after multiple students consumed what officials allege were vodka-laced treats Dec. 20 at Jones Elementary School in Tyler.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KETK, a Tyler Independent School District (ISD) police officer received a phone call from the Jones Elementary assistant principal that said she believed a parent had brought in Jell-O shots to a class Christmas party.
One child threw up and another was unable to stand after consuming six shots, according to an arrest affidavit. School staff said students had consumed nearly all the tainted shots before staff realized they contained alcohol.
Maine Student Passes Out, 11 Taken To Hospital As Cause Of Illnesses Remains Unknown
Fifteen students were sent to the school nurse and reported having stomach aches and headaches, the affidavit said.
Read On The Fox News App
After returning from Christmas break, another student reported he had thrown up twice at school that day, according to the affidavit, while another student claimed he had "passed out" after school following the party.
Bernal told the officer she had purchased the Jell-O shots from a local business she found on Facebook.
"The business is run out of a house, so she went by the house and purchased the Jell-O shots and brought them to the school for the Christmas party," the affidavit said.
New Hampshire Day Care Workers Sprinkled Melatonin In Children's Food Unbeknownst To Parents, Police Say
Bernal denied knowing there was any alcohol in the Jell-O shots and claimed she did not intend to give alcohol-laced treats to the students.
However, investigators disagreed with Bernal's claims, saying that, after looking at the photo of the Jell-O shots she ordered, "it clearly states the Jell-O shots contain Smirnoff [a vodka brand]," the complaint says.
"In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jello-O shots she purchased and brought to her daughter's fifth grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol," the arrest affidavit states.
Charity Accidentally Distributes Drug-laced Candy To Around 400 People: 'Funny Tasting'
During an interview with some of the teachers, they told investigators they "found it odd" that Bernal would bring Jell-O shots to a class party but "trusted" Bernal would not bring "anything harmful" to the school party.
Tyler ISD officials shared a statement with Fox News Digital, saying they were aware of Bernal's recent arrest and were working with law enforcement in the investigation.
The district added that Bernal has not been allowed back on campus since the incident and now faces legal consequences.
According to jail records, Bernal was booked into jail April 21, and her bail is set at $75,000.
She has yet to appear in court and does not appear to have a lawyer at this time.Original article source: Texas mom arrested for allegedly bringing vodka-spiked Jell-O shots to fifth grade school party
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Officials scour Montana mountains for Army veteran suspected of killing 4
Authorities were scouring a mountainous area of western Montana on Saturday for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled the Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents late Friday to stay at home and on high alert. 'While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,' Johnson said. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families have been notified. 'This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,' Johnson said. Anaconda, about 25 miles northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9,000 people was founded by copper barons who profited off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A defunct smelter stack looms over the valley. Brown lived next door to the Owl Bar, said owner David Gwerder, who wasn't there during the shooting Friday morning. Gwerder told the Associated Press that the bartender and three patrons were killed and he didn't think anyone else was inside. He also said he wasn't aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. 'He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,' Gwerder said. 'He didn't have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.' Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, said Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service in the rank of sergeant. Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP on Friday that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and that she and her other family members repeatedly sought help. 'This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild,' she wrote in a Facebook message. 'It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either.' With no sign of Brown in the white pickup or his home, authorities converged on the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air Friday, locking it down. A helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there. The search continued Saturday morning, according to Chase Scheuer, a spokesman for Montana's DCI. As reports of the shooting spread through town Friday, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers. The owner of the Firefly Cafe in Anaconda said she locked up her business after a friend alerted her to the shooting. 'We are Montana, so guns are not new to us,' Barbie Nelson said. 'For our town to be locked down, everybody's pretty rattled.' Brown, Slevin and Baumann write for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police hunt ex-soldier after four shot dead in US bar
Authorities in the US are scouring a mountainous area of western Montana for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pick-up truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents to stay at home and be on high alert. "While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous," Johnson said. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families had been notified. "This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for," Johnson said. Anaconda, about 40km northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9000 people was founded by copper barons who profited from nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that's no longer operational looms over the valley. Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, said owner David Gwerder, who wasn't there during the shooting on Friday morning local time. Gwerder said the bartender and three patrons were killed and he did not think anyone else was inside. He said he was not aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. "He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that," Gwerder said. "He didn't have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped." Brown served in the US Army as an armour crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, army spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Castro said. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service as a sergeant. Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, said her uncle had struggled with mental illness for years and she and other family members repeatedly sought help for him. "This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild," she wrote in a Facebook message. "It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either." With no sign of Brown in the white pick-up or his home, authorities converged on the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air, locking it down so no one was allowed in or out. A helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there. As reports of the shooting spread through town on Friday, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers. The owner of the Firefly Cafe in Anaconda said she locked up her business after a friend alerted her to the shooting. "We are Montana, so guns are not new to us," Barbie Nelson said. "For our town to be locked down, everybody's pretty rattled."
Hamilton Spectator
13 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Officials scour mountainous area of Montana for ex-US soldier suspected of killing 4 in bar shooting
Authorities are scouring a mountainous area of western Montana for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents late Friday to stay at home and on high alert. 'While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,' Johnson said. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families have been notified. 'This is a small tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,' Johnson said. Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9,000 people, was founded by copper barons who profited off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that's no longer operational looms over the valley. Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, said owner David Gwerder, who wasn't there during the shooting Friday morning. Gwerder told The Associated Press that the bartender and three patrons were killed and didn't think anyone else was inside. He also said he wasn't aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. 'He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,' Gwerder said. 'He didn't have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.' Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, said Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service in the rank of sergeant. Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP on Friday that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and that she and her other family members repeatedly sought help. 'This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild,' she wrote in a Facebook message. 'It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either.' With no sign of Brown in the white pickup or his home, authorities converged on the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air, locking it down so no one was allowed in or out. A helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there. As reports of the shooting spread through town earlier Friday, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers. The owner of the Firefly Café in Anaconda said she locked up her business after a friend alerted her to the shooting. 'We are Montana, so guns are not new to us,' Barbie Nelson said. 'For our town to be locked down, everybody's pretty rattled.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
