MARIJUANA MUFFINS EATEN AS RESULT OF SENIOR PRANK

Two Students Accused After Food Sent Teachers, Employees to Hospital

DALLAS - Two students have been charged with giving a high school's
employees marijuana-spiked muffins in a senior prank that sent 18
people to the hospital and triggered an FBI and terrorism
investigation. "I had no idea of the scope of my actions," Ian Walker,
18, said Friday, a day after he and friend Joseph Tellini surrendered
to police. They could receive 10 years in prison or more if convicted
of felony charges. Walker is accused of delivering adulterated bran
muffins to the teachers lounge of Tellini's suburban school May 16 and
claiming they were part of an Eagle Scout project. When Lake Highlands
High School employees ate the muffins, they began complaining of
nausea, lightheadedness and headaches. Most of those sickened were
quickly treated and released, but Rita Greenfield, an 86-year-old
receptionist, spent two days in the hospital. "They were just thinking
it would be fun to get these teachers all silly and giggly,"
Greenfield said. "I do not think of this as a prank at all. It has
caused heartaches and hard feelings."

The FBI investigated because the case involved a contamination of the
food supply at a school. A joint terrorism task force found that
terrorism was not involved, but determined the muffins contained
marijuana and turned up a surveillance video of the delivery.

Walker, who attends a nearby Catholic school, and Tellini, 18, were
each charged with five felony counts of assault on a public servant,
each of which carries penalties of two to 10 years in prison. Because
of the presence of illegal drugs, Dallas County prosecutors are
seeking an upgrade to the charges that could raise the maximum
sentence to 20 years, district attorney spokeswoman Rachel Raya said.

The teens were released on $7,500 bail each. "It was juvenile and
stupid, and believe it or not, I thought I was only participating in a
senior prank," Walker said on Friday. Ian Walker's mother, Caroline,
said she first heard about the tainted muffins while watching the news
with her son.

"My first thought when I saw it, because I am a mom, was, 'My heart
goes out to the mother of that stupid kid,' " she said.