A Texas woman has been arrested after her son's alleged bully was sent to the hospital after having consumed an "intentionally" mixed sports drink, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
Jennifer Lynn Rossi, 45, mixed lemon, salt and vinegar into a sports drink bottle to "prevent her son’s drink from being stolen at school by other students," the sheriff's office alleged in a statement.
Her 10-year-old son handed the bottle to another boy during PE class Tuesday, the office said. It said he experienced nausea and a headache shortly after he drank the mixed concoction. Deputies were then called to the Legacy Traditional School in Alamo Ranch for the sick child.
Although lemon, salt and vinegar are nontoxic, the incident resulted in the victim’s being hospitalized for additional medical monitoring, authorities said. The student was eventually discharged.
When the school principal contacted Rossi, she admitted having “intentionally mixed the contents of the drink” after having heard from her son that the victim “stole his drink and was bullying him,” according to the arrest affidavit.
The son recounted in a written statement that his prime drink went missing during recess the day before and that the victim “said he had it and kept bragging about it,” authorities said.
After he went home to tell Rossi about the incident, she “had an idea to prank” the alleged bully, and he “did what he was told by his mother,” according to the affidavit.
The victim said the son “accused him” and “someone tried to hit him” for allegedly taking the prime drink.
Rossi said that she “only intended to stop her child from being bullied” and that she “is a nurse and knows the mixture to be nontoxic,” according to the affidavit.
But after the victim poured the mixed concoction into his water bottle and took a “large sip of the drink,” he “then stated feeling bad.”
Rossi was charged with injury to a child causing bodily injury.
