Latest news with #JonesElementarySchool
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
Texas mom arrested for allegedly bringing vodka-spiked Jell-O shots to fifth grade school party
A mother in East Texas was arrested after a child got sick from alleged vodka-laced Jell-O shots at a fifth grade school holiday party in December. Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, is facing a felony count of injury to a child after multiple students consumed what officials allege were vodka-laced treats Dec. 20 at Jones Elementary School in Tyler. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KETK, a Tyler Independent School District (ISD) police officer received a phone call from the Jones Elementary assistant principal that said she believed a parent had brought in Jell-O shots to a class Christmas party. One child threw up and another was unable to stand after consuming six shots, according to an arrest affidavit. School staff said students had consumed nearly all the tainted shots before staff realized they contained alcohol. Maine Student Passes Out, 11 Taken To Hospital As Cause Of Illnesses Remains Unknown Fifteen students were sent to the school nurse and reported having stomach aches and headaches, the affidavit said. Read On The Fox News App After returning from Christmas break, another student reported he had thrown up twice at school that day, according to the affidavit, while another student claimed he had "passed out" after school following the party. Bernal told the officer she had purchased the Jell-O shots from a local business she found on Facebook. "The business is run out of a house, so she went by the house and purchased the Jell-O shots and brought them to the school for the Christmas party," the affidavit said. New Hampshire Day Care Workers Sprinkled Melatonin In Children's Food Unbeknownst To Parents, Police Say Bernal denied knowing there was any alcohol in the Jell-O shots and claimed she did not intend to give alcohol-laced treats to the students. However, investigators disagreed with Bernal's claims, saying that, after looking at the photo of the Jell-O shots she ordered, "it clearly states the Jell-O shots contain Smirnoff [a vodka brand]," the complaint says. "In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jello-O shots she purchased and brought to her daughter's fifth grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol," the arrest affidavit states. Charity Accidentally Distributes Drug-laced Candy To Around 400 People: 'Funny Tasting' During an interview with some of the teachers, they told investigators they "found it odd" that Bernal would bring Jell-O shots to a class party but "trusted" Bernal would not bring "anything harmful" to the school party. Tyler ISD officials shared a statement with Fox News Digital, saying they were aware of Bernal's recent arrest and were working with law enforcement in the investigation. The district added that Bernal has not been allowed back on campus since the incident and now faces legal consequences. According to jail records, Bernal was booked into jail April 21, and her bail is set at $75,000. She has yet to appear in court and does not appear to have a lawyer at this article source: Texas mom arrested for allegedly bringing vodka-spiked Jell-O shots to fifth grade school party
Fox News
26-04-2025
- Fox News
Texas mom arrested for allegedly bringing vodka-spiked Jell-O shots to 5th grade school party
A mother in East Texas was arrested after a child got sick from alleged vodka-laced Jell-O shots at a fifth grade school holiday party in December. Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, is facing a felony count of injury to a child after multiple students consumed what officials allege were vodka-laced treats Dec. 20 at Jones Elementary School in Tyler. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KETK, a Tyler Independent School District (ISD) police officer received a phone call from the Jones Elementary assistant principal that said she believed a parent had brought in Jell-O shots to a class Christmas party. One child threw up and another was unable to stand after consuming six shots, according to an arrest affidavit. School staff said students had consumed nearly all the tainted shots before staff realized they contained alcohol. Fifteen students were sent to the school nurse and reported having stomach aches and headaches, the affidavit said. After returning from Christmas break, another student reported he had thrown up twice at school that day, according to the affidavit, while another student claimed he had "passed out" after school following the party. Bernal told the officer she had purchased the Jell-O shots from a local business she found on Facebook. "The business is run out of a house, so she went by the house and purchased the Jell-O shots and brought them to the school for the Christmas party," the affidavit said. Bernal denied knowing there was any alcohol in the Jell-O shots and claimed she did not intend to give alcohol-laced treats to the students. However, investigators disagreed with Bernal's claims, saying that, after looking at the photo of the Jell-O shots she ordered, "it clearly states the Jell-O shots contain Smirnoff [a vodka brand]," the complaint says. "In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jello-O shots she purchased and brought to her daughter's 5th grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol," the arrest affidavit states. During an interview with some of the teachers, they told investigators they "found it odd" that Bernal would bring Jell-O shots to a class party but "trusted" Bernal would not bring "anything harmful" to the school party. Tyler ISD officials shared a statement with Fox News Digital, saying they were aware of Bernal's recent arrest and were working with law enforcement in the investigation. "Tyler ISD is aware of the recent arrest of a parent in connection to an elementary holiday party last December. At the time, a parent volunteer brought homemade Jell-O to the celebration, which was later found to contain alcohol. Unfortunately, some students consumed the Jell-O before the situation was discovered. Staff acted immediately to address the situation, informing parents and working with law enforcement. We take this matter very seriously and remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students." - Tyler ISD The district added that Bernal has not been allowed back on campus since the incident and now faces legal consequences. According to jail records, Bernal was booked into jail April 21, and her bail is set at $75,000. She has yet to appear in court and does not appear to have a lawyer at this time. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Texas mother arrested after bringing Jell-O shots to 5th-grade classroom party
A Texas mother who officials say took alcoholic Jell-O shots to her child's elementary school Christmas party has been arrested. Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, was charged with injury to a child in connection to a party Dec. 20 at Jones Elementary School in Tyler Texas. Bernal purchased the Jell-O shots from a home business she found on Facebook, according to the arrest affidavit. The shots were laid out on a table along with treats students had brought to share in a cafeteria where fifth-grade classes gathered, officials said. Fifteen students consumed the shots, and nearly all reported 'having stomach aches and headaches,' the affidavit said. One student told police he vomited twice at school that day, and another student said he 'passed out' at school after consuming the Jell-O shot, according to the affidavit. One student reported that he had six Jell-O shots and got dizzy. When he returned to his classroom, he 'got dizzy and fell and felt like he could not get back on his feet,' the affidavit said. When questioned by a Tyler Independent School District police officer, Bernal said she did not know the shots contained alcohol, but conceded 'they do taste different,' the arrest affidavit said. She said she discovered the shots had alcohol only after the children had consumed some of them, according to officials. Bernal did not immediately respond to a message left on a phone number listed under her name. A teacher told police that two other teachers tried the shots and said they believed the shots contained alcohol. The teacher tried one herself but couldn't tell because of the flavor, police said. The teacher took the kids back to her class and sent those who consumed a Jell-O shot to the nurse's office. After that, just four children remained in her class, officials said. The party took place just before holiday break, and the investigating officer interviewed teachers when they returned to work Jan. 6. 'During the interviews I was told, while some of the teachers found it odd that Bernal would bring Jell-O shots to an elementary school party, they were trusting Bernal to not bring anything harmful to the school party. Bernal was an involved parent and was present at many functions at the school,' the file said. The Facebook sweets business Bernal had purchased the shots from had a clear disclaimer on its website stating the shots were made with Smirnoff vodka, the affidavit said. 'In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jell-O shots she purchased … and brought to her daughter's 5th grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol,' the officer wrote in the affidavit. Testing of the shots also indicated the shots did contain ethanol. Bernal was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday and posted $75,000 bond the same day. It's not immediately clear if she's retained an attorney. The Tyler Independent School District said it was aware of Bernal's arrest. "At the time, a parent volunteer brought homemade Jello to the celebration, which was later found to contain alcohol. Unfortunately, some students consumed the Jello before the situation was discovered. Staff acted immediately to address the situation, informing parents and working with law enforcement," the district said. The district said Bernal has not been allowed back to campus. "We take this matter very seriously and remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students," the statement said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
25-04-2025
- NBC News
Texas mother arrested after bringing Jell-O shots to 5th-grade classroom party
A Texas mother who officials say took alcoholic Jell-O shots to her child's elementary school Christmas party has been arrested. Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, was charged with injury to a child in connection to a party Dec. 20 at Jones Elementary School in Tyler Texas. Bernal purchased the Jell-O shots from a home business she found on Facebook, according to the arrest affidavit. The shots were laid out on a table along with treats students had brought to share in a cafeteria where fifth-grade classes gathered, officials said. Fifteen students consumed the shots, and nearly all reported 'having stomach aches and headaches,' the affidavit said. One student told police he vomited twice at school that day, and another student said he 'passed out' at school after consuming the Jell-O shot, according to the affidavit. One student reported that he had six Jell-O shots and got dizzy. When he returned to his classroom, he 'got dizzy and fell and felt like he could not get back on his feet,' the affidavit said. When questioned by a Tyler Independent School District police officer, Bernal said she did not know the shots contained alcohol, but conceded 'they do taste different,' the arrest affidavit said. She said she discovered the shots had alcohol only after the children had consumed some of them, according to officials. Bernal did not immediately respond to a message left on a phone number listed under her name. A teacher told police that two other teachers tried the shots and said they believed the shots contained alcohol. The teacher tried one herself but couldn't tell because of the flavor, police said. The teacher took the kids back to her class and sent those who consumed a Jell-O shot to the nurse's office. After that, just four children remained in her class, officials said. The party took place just before holiday break, and the investigating officer interviewed teachers when they returned to work Jan. 6. 'During the interviews I was told, while some of the teachers found it odd that Bernal would bring Jell-O shots to an elementary school party, they were trusting Bernal to not bring anything harmful to the school party. Bernal was an involved parent and was present at many functions at the school,' the file said. The Facebook sweets business Bernal had purchased the shots from had a clear disclaimer on its website stating the shots were made with Smirnoff vodka, the affidavit said. 'In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jell-O shots she purchased … and brought to her daughter's 5th grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol,' the officer wrote in the affidavit. Testing of the shots also indicated the shots did contain ethanol. Bernal was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday and posted $75,000 bond the same day. It's not immediately clear if she's retained an attorney. The Tyler Independent School District said it was aware of Bernal's arrest. "At the time, a parent volunteer brought homemade Jello to the celebration, which was later found to contain alcohol. Unfortunately, some students consumed the Jello before the situation was discovered. Staff acted immediately to address the situation, informing parents and working with law enforcement," the district said. The district said Bernal has not been allowed back to campus.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Suburban mom arrested after unspeakable act on 5th graders at school party
A parent got 15 kids so drunk some were dizzy and vomited after bringing jello shots to a class party she allegedly knew were alcoholic. Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, bought the shots from a bakery in Tyler, Texas, and took them to her daughter's Christmas party at Jones Elementary School. Fifth grade students devoured all but four of the shots by the time an assistant principal called police about 11.15am on December 20. No one realized the jello was spiked with vodka until about 20 minutes into the party when two of the teachers tried them and tasted the alcohol. By then, one of the kids had knocked back six of them, and later told police he felt dizzy, then fell down and couldn't get back up and was scared. Another little girl said she had two, and had to throw up in the bathroom, then vomited again later in the day and 'passed out on the floor at home'. 'The teacher took the kids back to her class and later sent the kids who had consumed a Jell-O shot to the nurse and only had four kids left in her classroom,' police said. The responding cop wrote that he talked to all 15 of the kids who took the jello and 'nearly all of them reported having stomach aches and headaches'. Bernal told police that she found the bakery on Facebook and ordered two boxes of 20 shots after going to the business, which was run out of a house. The shots came in blue, red, and green and those in one box were decorated with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Officer Darin Grissom wrote in a charging affidavit that when he interviewed Bernal at the school he asked her if they shots contained alcohol. 'They do taste different,' she replied, according to the affidavit. Grissom spoke to the bakery owner after the holidays, on January 13, and told them I thought Bernal knew she was purchasing Jell-O shots that included alcohol'. 'The owner agreed with me and said Bernal ordered one order of Jell-O shots the day before the incident,' he wrote. 'In looking at the photo of the Jell-O shots Bernal ordered, it clearly states the Jell-O shots contained Smirnoff. 'In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jell-O shots she purchased from the local business and brought to the Christmas party contained drinking alcohol.' Grissom's suspicions increased when he reviewed text messages between Bernal and the bakery. 'Bernal asks the owner if the shots contain alcohol. The owner texted back that the shots do have alcohol and asked why. Bernal simply said "kids",' he wrote. Grissom also interviewed school staff, who said Bernal was a very involved parent who often came to school functions, and they trusted her not to bring anything harmful to the party. Once lab tests confirmed the jello shots contained alcohol, Bernal was arrested and charged with recklessly causing bodily injury to a child. She was booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday and released on $75,000 bail. The school said she had not been allowed back at the school since the party.
