Girl pleads guilty to bringing meth to middle school

(AP) - A 14-year-old girl who brought crystal methamphetamine to her middle school and gave it to other students pleaded guilty Wednesday, said a spokeswoman for the county prosecutor's office.

Seven students at Hazel Park Middle School Academy, including the girl, were taken to hospitals after they ingested the crystal meth on Tuesday. The girl was arrested and a search of her home turned up about two grams of the drug, authorities said.

The girl remained in the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center on Wednesday, police spokesman Tom Walsh said. She pleaded guilty in juvenile court with second-degree sale of a controlled substance in a school zone, a felony.

She will remain in custody until her next court appearance on Oct. 10. In such cases, it's typically up to the judge to determine a penalty, said Janet Hafner, a spokeswoman with the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.

School officials said the girl told them she'd "found" the crystal meth.

"When she said she found it, perhaps she found it at home," Walsh said.

No one else had been arrested as of Wednesday morning.

Walsh said the "crystal" form of methamphetamine is usually smoked.

Principal Coleman McDonough said that during Tuesday's lunch period, one girl went to the school nurse because she wasn't feeling well and was anxious and scared. The girl told the nurse that six girls and one boy had found a substance and "ingested" it, officials said.

"This is a very isolated incident," McDonough said. "It's not characteristic of our students or our learning community. This is a great place to go to school. Our kids feel safe here."

All of the students were taken to hospitals where they were treated and released Tuesday. McDonough said it seemed the students took small amounts of the drug.

Toni Cairl, who has a son in eighth grade at Hazel Park, said he heard rumors about the incident on Tuesday.

"I'm angry; I'm concerned," she said. "My son told me it was a piece of candy. I told him, 'Don't take candy from anyone at school.'"

Still, Cairl said she was pleased with the way the school handled the situation, and she hopes it leads to a broader discussion.

"I think they should sit down and talk to the whole school about it," she said. "It's not something that should be kept behind closed doors."

Hazel Park has 564 students enrolled in grades 7 and 8.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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