Ohio college kids accused of contaminating teachers' food with bodily fluids

May 21, 2019, 17h57 UTC

By Elisha Fieldstadt

Several college students in Ohio are accused of adding bodily fluids to food before serving it to teachers, officials said.

Eight students from Olentangy Hyatts Middle School, mostly aged 14, are being questioned as suspects of the incident that allegedly took place on Thursday, according to a statement from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

The food, which included pancakes, was served by teachers who acted as judges for a cooking contest as part of a "Global Gourmet" course, the statement said. Olentangy Hyatts Middle School is located in Powell, Ohio, approximately 14 miles north of Columbus.

Five school staff members probably ate food that, according to the investigators, had been "contaminated" by sperm and urine, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office told NBC News.

One student recorded part of the video incident, which was shared among the students, according to the sheriff's office statement.

Thursday, at the end of the day, the video was brought to the attention of school administrators, who informed the sheriff's office, which has been investigating since, according to the statement.

Investigators work with prosecutors to determine possible charges.

Mason Lambert, a high school student, told NBC-affiliated WCMH that the principal had organized a school meeting on Monday to explain what would have happened and his wrongdoing.

"I think it's a bit disgusting. I do not even know why anyone would do that, "he said.

A statement from the Olentangy School District said that district officials were also investigating the incident and that "anyone found in violation of school policies will be held accountable for his actions".

"We are also focusing our efforts on supporting teachers affected by this incident," the statement said.

None of the students was identified, but lawyer Bradley P. Koffel told NBC News that he represented one of the boys in what he called "this mess".

"From what I understood, the school thinks there is video. I am not aware of what the video shows or does not show. Nor has anyone confirmed that the actual body fluids were placed in food served to teachers, "Koffel said.