A 4-year-old ingested ethanol at school. A teacher has been arrested, reports say.
A 4-year-old ingested ethanol at school. A teacher has been arrested, reports say. The Mobile County Public School System told a local TV station that the accused teacher has been placed on administrative leave.
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After a 4-year-old student in Alabama ingested ethanol and was taken to a hospital with over three times the state's legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC), her teacher was arrested, according to multiple reports, citing local authorities.
The 56-year-old female teacher was charged with aggravated child abuse after her student, who was in her care at Collins-Rhodes Elementary School in Prichard, told detectives with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office that she received a drink from her teacher that made her feel sick, WALA and WPMI reported.
The allegations against the teacher came up when the student's parents took her to the hospital on April 28 after they picked her up, and she was extremely ill, Mobile County sheriff's deputies told the TV stations.
The teacher pleaded not guilty on May 27 after waiving arraignment, according to court documents, per WKRG.
USA TODAY contacted the Mobile County Sheriff's Office, the Prichard Police Department, the Collins-Rhodes Elementary School and the Mobile County Public School System on May 27 but has not received a response.
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What BAC did the child have after the alleged incident?
The child spent two and a half days in the ICU after her family said she ingested a sizable amount of ethanol, which is a renewable fuel the U.S. Department of Energy says is in more than 98% of U.S. gasoline, the TV stations reported, adding that the girl is now recovering at home.
The toxicology report, obtained by WALA, showed the girl had a BAC of nearly .029. According to the National College for DUI Defense, the legal (BAC) limit in Alabama is 0.08.
As of May 27, the woman is still listed on Collins-Rhodes Elementary School's website as a special education teacher.
Student reportedly began feeling sick after nap time
A sheriff's deputy told WPMI that a teacher's aide realized after nap time that the student felt ill.
"Whenever she didn't wake up first, she felt something was off," sheriff's deputy Lonnie Parsons said, per the TV station. "They tried to wake her up, but she was very sluggish. She could not stand up without assistance."
The sheriff's office was also told about previous complaints made about the woman, Parsons said, but he did not divulge what the complaints were about, WMPI reported.
In a statement obtained by WMPI, the Mobile County Public School System said: "We take all allegations seriously. The teacher was placed on administrative leave when this allegation was first made. We have been cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation, and we will continue working with them."
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
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