Pineapple attack court cases advance
One teen involved with exposing a classmate with a severe pineapple allergy to the fruit admitted to one charge, while a second teen involved in the incident entered into an agreement in Butler County Juvenile Court Friday.
The teens, both 14 years old, were charged by Butler Township police, along with a 13-year-old girl, after the incident Dec. 13 at Butler Intermediate High School, where police say the teens intentionally exposed the classmate.
The Butler Eagle is not naming the girls, as they were charged as juveniles.
Police said one of the 14-year-olds was accused of rubbing pineapple on her own hand and then “high-fiving” the girl during a lunch period. The victim was taken to the nurse's office, given an epinephrine pen and eventually taken by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital. She was treated and released from the hospital the same day, authorities said.
The 14-year-old girl, who police say was most culpable, was charged with felony aggravated assault and conspiracy, and misdemeanor simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and disorderly conduct.
In Friday's hearing before Judge Timothy McCune, the girl admitted to the misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge, and all remaining charges were withdrawn.
A disposition hearing was then scheduled March 21, and the teen was placed on a predisposition safety plan pending that hearing.
That juvenile had previously been limited from using social media except for school-related purposes at an emergency hearing last week.
The other 14-year-old girl entered into a consent decree on the charges of felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, misdemeanor reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct, before McCune. A consent decree is an agreement between the prosecution and the juvenile regarding the disposition of a juvenile case.
She will be subject to six months of juvenile probation, which includes the payment of court costs, a $25 Victims Compensation Assistance Program fee, a $50 probation supervision fee, $141.20 liability fee, completion of 30 hours of community service and random drug screenings throughout the probation period.
A consent decree review hearing was then scheduled Aug. 17.
Public defender Ryan Helsel, who represented the girl police said was most at fault, declined to comment following the hearing. The other 14-year-old girl's attorney, Ken Harris, also declined to comment.
The 13-year-old girl also previously entered into a consent decree last week, and was subject to the same conditions as the other accomplice.
Her attorney, Gary Vanasdale, declined to comment following that previous hearing.
The victim was present in the courtroom during all the hearings, including those Friday, but did not speak during the proceedings.
Prosecutors suggested the felony charges against all three girls, saying they knew about the victim's severe allergy. Investigators said the victim's allergy is such that any contact with pineapple could have caused her to go into anaphylactic shock.
The school does not serve pineapple to avoid an accidental exposure. Because of that pineapple prohibition, authorities suspected someone had brought the fruit in their lunch from home, according to school officials.
