2 girls cited for Exlax prank at PHS
Two girls were cited into Tulare County's Thunderbolt Program for juvenile offenders after allegedly pulling an Exlax prank at school.
The 14-year-old Porterville High School students were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery for the offense, Porterville Police Department Sgt. Dan Haynes said, as battery entails "causing harm or discomfort" to another.
Police were notified of the incident - which occurred at Porterville High School - sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. Thursday.
Haynes said the two teens brought an unspecified amount of chocolate Exlax to school Thursday and thought it would be funny to pull a prank that entailed giving it to unsuspecting students.
Exlax is described by drugdigest.com as a laxative.
Two other 14-year-old girls were given the Exlax, but were "doing fine," Haynes said.
Police responded to the high school and took the two girls that allegedly brought in the Exlax to school, to the Porterville Police Department. There, they were issued a Thunderbolt citation and released, Haynes said.
Porterville High School officials were not available for comment Friday.
Although this incident was far from resulting in tragic consequences, Haynes said authorities and school officials consider it to be a serious offense.
"It's taken very seriously if you give anyone any medication," Haynes said. "It's not taken lightly and you are not allowed to have any type of medication on any school campus at any time.
"If this was something more serious, such as with a controlled substance of some sort, who knows what the outcome could have been."
Haynes said schools do not allow any type of medication on campuses, not even aspirin.
"Any type of controlled substance or medication brought on campus will not be taken lightly," Haynes said. "Schools have zero tolerance (for bringing medications, drugs, etc. on school grounds) just as in bringing any type of weapons on school grounds."
Contact Kara D. Machado at 784-5000, Ext. 1043, or kmachado@portervillerecorder.com.
This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on March 19, 2005
