Richard Essex/Eyewitness News
North Vernon - Police say four teenagers who were sent to the hospital Tuesday are now facing drug charges.
According to police, a 13-year-old boy brought the drugs to Jennings County Middle School Tuesday morning. Investigators say the boys took the mixture of anti-anxiety and prescription sleeping medication sometime early in the school day.
Teachers noticed something was wrong and called police. All four students were taken by ambulance to St. Vincent Hospital in North Vernon.
"The officers arrived and determined the juveniles had, in fact, ingested some prescription medication, but didn't have any life-threatening results from that," said North Vernon Police Officer Andrew Richmond.
Other students told Eyewitness News they learned of the suspected overdose minutes after it happened.
"They said one of them ran into a wall or something and the teacher sent them up to the office," one student said.
"The medications we've had identified through interviews with the juveniles and the school are phengren, Ambien, pregnazon and one quanapin pill, which is the most serious, because it is an anti-anxiety medication," said Officer Richmond.
Though police do not believe they took enough drugs to be in serious or critical condition, they had them taken to the hospital to be checked out by doctors as a precaution before being released to their parents.
The students are now facing charges of public intoxication and illegal possession of prescription medicine.
"Yes, it is a disappointment when young people make choices that can be very harmful to them and because of that, it is a very serious situation," said Jennings Co. Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Bushong.
Police say this is the first time they can recall prescription medication abuse involving students so young.
