Food laced with marijuana at 'potluck'; teacher arrested

Teresa Gilmete Badger, a teacher in Benicia, CA who brought marijuana-laced food to a school potluck. Teresa Gilmete Badger, a teacher in Benicia, CA who brought marijuana-laced food to a school potluck. Photo: Benicia Police Department Photo: Benicia Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Food laced with marijuana at 'potluck'; teacher arrested 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

(01-25) 06:27 PST BENICIA -- An elementary school teacher was arrested Friday and accused of poisoning colleagues at an after-hours employee potluck with food containing marijuana, according to Benicia police.

Employees of the Matthew Turner Elementary School attended the potluck at a residence on the night of Nov. 21. Several people who attended the party became sick and complained of feeling like they were under the influence of a controlled substance. One attendee took some of the food home where it was consumed by a juvenile, who complained of similar effects, police said.

Later that evening, a woman was taken to a hospital and another was admitted the next day for chest pains.

Tests on the second victim revealed the presence of THC, the principal psychoactive chemical in marijuana, Lt. Frank Hartig said.

The incident was reported to Benicia police by the Benicia Unified School District and police determined Theresa Gilmete Badger, a 47-year-old Benicia resident and teacher at the school, was responsible for bringing the laced food to the party.

Badger was arrested at her residence Friday afternoon on suspicion of willfully mingling a poison or harmful substance with food, a felony. She is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail at the Solano County Jail in Fairfield.