Central Regional Student Who Laced Teacher's Coffee With Visine Charged With Aggravated Assault

by Patricia A. Miller

A Central Regional High School student who put Visine eye drops in a teacher’s coffee on Monday has been charged with aggravated assault, Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele said.

The student put the drops in Kelly Grosse’s coffee around 8:30 a.m. on April 28. Berkeley police responded to the school on a report of a faculty member who became ill after ingesting an unknown substance, the chief said.

Kelly Grosse is the wife of Berkeley Township Councilman L. Thomas Grosse Jr., a Toms River police detective, Central Regional Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said.

“It was reported that a student may have put Visine eye drops in a teacher’s beverage,” DiMichele said.

The Berkeley Township Police School Security Officer and Berkeley detectives responded and began an investigation to determine the cause of Grosse’s illness. She was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment, the chief said.

“ As a result of the investigation, a juvenile was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault on a school board member,” DiMichele said. ”The juvenile was processed and released to their parents pending Juvenile Court proceedings. ”

The 16-year-old boy was suspended immediately, Parlapanides said.

“He is entitled to due process, so a Board hearing will be arranged and a determination will be made once the hearing has occurred and then reported back to the full board for a decision to be made,” he said.