16 Henrico middle school students charged in prescription drug case
Sixteen students from Byrd and Tuckahoe middle schools in Henrico County have been charged with distributing and/or possessing the prescription drug Adderall, a psychostimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Henrico police have brought a total of 32 charges against the 16 students stemming from the distribution of the drug on April 24 and April 30, said Henrico police Lt. Gary Watson.
Thirteen Byrd students have been charged with 24 offenses, and three Tuckahoe students have been charged with eight offenses. Authorities did not give the ages of the students, but those in middle school typically range from age 11 to 14.
"Initially, all the prescription drugs came from this one person, who happened to be a student at Tuckahoe Middle School," Watson said.
The Tuckahoe student passed the drug to other students at Tuckahoe and Byrd, and those students then distributed the drug to other friends, Watson said. The drug was distributed at both schools April 24, and again at Byrd on April 30. "No permanent injuries resulted from the incidents," Watson said.
Rescue units were summoned to the schools after school officials realized that some students had consumed the drug on campus. "I think they brought each student in that said they had taken some Adderall and checked their vitals," Watson said.
"The school administration and staff took immediate and appropriate disciplinary action in this situation," said Henrico school spokesman Mychael Dickerson. "They are also encouraging parents to partner with them to make children aware of the dangers of all drugs, including prescription medications."
Adderall is a central-nervous system stimulant that affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control, according to Drugs.com, a drug information Web site. Adderall, it says, is a composite of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine and is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.
Also, according to Drugs.com, Adderall can be abused and may be habit-forming. Improper use can cause serious side effects on the heart and death, according to the Web site.
After the incidents, Henrico school officials sent out letters to parents inviting them to a town-hall-style meeting Thursday to discuss prescription-drug abuse. The event will be hosted by Henrico's Too Smart to Start Coalition.
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or
.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
DATONY, I don’t believe the charges are vague. Out of all the possible charges available for these offenses I would think possession and distribution would be the most accurate. How can you even comment on the sentencing when they haven’t even gone to trial yet? Are you implying there has never been a student in Richmond or Petersburg who has ever distributed a prescription drug? Doubtful. I would say the same for Hanover, Chesterfield, Hopewell and any other surrounding county. Either they have not been caught yet, they were caught and not criminally charged or it was not written about in the media.
you are quite right, it doesnt state that they sold the drugs…..the charges were made vague for a reason…the same reason that richmond city school students and petersburg city school students would be a far greater sentence than those in henrico or chesterfield….....
DATONY, The article doesn’t state the students were selling the drugs, it says “passed” and “distributed”. There is a difference legally in these definitions. The charges could have ranged from the sale, manufacture, give, distribution, possession, etc of the drugs.
actually MeToo, a juvenile can get a felony charge and it can indeed follow them into adulthood and they will have a criminal record. henrico police may charge them with one thing, but it is ultimately up to the commonwealth attorney of that locality as to whether or not the charge will be a misdemeanor or felony. and regardless of the type of attorney, henrico co doesnt want too much bad p/r in the school systems, not in this day in age and the economy isn’t too spiffy lol. the last thing henrico co wants to do is lose it’s citizens,itz taxpayers, itz money lol.
I believe it’s the Henrico Police who make that determination… last time I checked, principals didn’t charge/ prosecute crimes.
As a juvenile it doesn’t really matter whether they get a felony or a misdemeanor in this case… it’s all a juvenile record and doesn’t follow them for the rest of their lives. Regardless, the quality of attorney the parents are able to get will determine exactly what kind of trouble their kids get into.
isnt selling prescription drugs a felony and doesn’t it usually fall under federal sentencing guidelines? something worth mentioning even though i am sure that these henrico co school students wont get such a fair treament, now if they were in richmond or petersburg school system, it would be a different story altogether lol
....just wondering, are these kids going to be getting charged with felonies or misdemeanors? i mean, i always thought that selling prescriptions drugs was a felony and usually fell under federal sentencing guidelines. i guess since they are juveniles and this is the henrico co. school system and not richmond or petersburg, they will be a little smack on the wrist…..a month from now, people will forget all about it lol
Travis,
I would like to clarify my statement about it is the side affects of the mental illness not the drugs. If you were to give, say, Prozac to a person that does not have depression it will not cause them to go kill like those poor children at Columbine. This is because those children had diagnosed mental illnesses that caused irrational thoughts and behaviors. Please don’t get me wrong. Maybe it is important for you to know that I do not take any medications. I, yes, have and will suffer from depression my entire life, however, I have found that for me my own mental strength and understanding of my disease allows me to overcome it without the help of medicine. I do believe, however, that this simply does not work for some and the help of medication is necessary. I have seen both aspects of the affects of therapeutic medications and have personally experienced things that you could never imagine. You cannot claim to know what a mental illness entails without having experienced it yourself. So many today are quick to judge. Through my faith in God I have learned that whether depression, OCD, ADD, ADHD, and so on are viewed by all as a true disease, we are human and should all be treated as such. You tend to forget this aspect when you use your fancy copy and paste statements instead of using your own words and thoughts and treating others like the humans that we all are.
No, I cannot show you an x-ray of the mind, silly rabbit… but, if you’re willing to submit one of yourself, I’m sure we’ll then have an x-ray of the “mindless”.
I win.
I’ll cease and desist participation in this banter. Misinformation and the failure to comprehend the threat to personal freedom posed by the Therapeutic State among several here is much more frightening than any User Name.
I will leave with my observation on the following vacuous assertion by one poster here:
The mind is an intricate, delicate instrument of the human body.
Can you show me an x-ray of the mind? If you can, my colleagues and I will ensure you are nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement