Ohio middle school students accused of tainting teachers’ food with bodily fluids

Several Ohio middle school students are accused of adding bodily fluids to food before serving it to teachers, officials said. Eight Olentangy Hyatts Middle School students, mostly 14-year-olds, are being questioned as suspects in the incident, which allegedly happened Thursday, according to a statement from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. The food, which included crepes, was being served to teachers acting as judges for a cooking competition that was part of a "Global Gourmet" class, the statement said. Olentangy Hyatts Middle School is in Powell, Ohio, about 14 miles north of Columbus. Five school staffers likely ate the food that investigators believe was "tainted" by the students with semen and urine, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman told NBC News. A student recorded some of the incident on video, which was shared among students, the statement from the sheriff’s office said. By the end of the day Thursday, the video had reached school administrators, who notified the sheriff’s office, which has been investigating ever since, the statement said. Investigators are working with prosecutors to determine possible charges. A student at the middle school, Mason Lambert, told NBC affiliate WCMH that the principal held a school assembly Monday to explain what allegedly happened and how wrong it was. "I just think it’s kind of gross. I don’t even know why anybody would do that," he said. A statement from Olentangy School District said district officials were also investigating the incident and "anyone found in violation of school policies will be held accountable for their actions." "We are also focusing our efforts to support the teachers impacted by this incident," the statement said. None of the students have been identified, but attorney Bradley P. Koffel told NBC News that he is representing one of the boys in what he called "this mess." "It is my understanding that the school believes there is some video. I am not currently aware of what the video shows or does not show. Nor has anyone confirmed that actual bodily fluids were placed in food served to teachers," Koffel said.