Three teenage girls are facing charges after police alleged they purposefully exposed a fellow classmate to pineapple juice, despite knowing that she was allergic and that it could send her into anaphylactic shock.
WPXI reports that one of the girls soaked her hand in pineapple juice and started high-fiving classmates during lunch. Another student overheard the girls' plan and warned the victim that she had been exposed to pineapple juice. She rushed to the nurse who gave her an Epipen to help control the allergic reaction. An ambulance took her to the hospital where she recovered from the anaphylactic shock.
Butler Township Police Lieutenant Matt Pearson said it "was an intentional act," and explained that the girls "sat at the lunch table right next to her and talked about doing it." Police pointed out that everybody at the school knew of her allergies. The school previously banned pineapple from the cafeteria menu, and educated students on an allergy plan in case a student had an allergic reaction.
The 14-year-old girl, who police say is the one who actually exposed her classmate to the pineapple juice, faces charges of aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and disorderly conduct. The other two students, who police say helped devise the plan, were each charged with criminal conspiracy, reckless endangerment, and disorderly conduct.