Sep 14, 2007 6:00 pm US/Central
Guilty Plea Announced In 'Tainted Muffins' Case
DALLAS (AP) ―
One of two men accused of delivering marijuana-laced muffins to a high school teacher's lounge in suburban Dallas pleaded guilty Friday.
Joseph Tellini pleaded guilty to two second-degree felony charges of tampering with a consumer product and three charges of misdemeanor assault.
He originally was charged with five counts of assaulting a public servant. But under terms of a plea agreement, Tellini will instead serve seven years of deferred adjudication probation on the lesser charges.
The other man in the incident, Ian McConnell Walker, is expected to enter a guilty plea next month.
They could have faced up to 10 years in prison on the original charges.
Officials said 18 school employees at Lake Highlands High School were hospitalized in May 2006 after eating the drugged snacks, but no one was seriously injured.
Walker later apologized and said he had participated in a senior prank gone wrong. Tellini has declined to speak with the media. Both were 18 at the time of the incident.
The FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force helped investigate the incident because it involved contamination of the food supply at a school.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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