Police probe tainted water jug that sickened football players

Jace Radke

Friday, Nov. 17, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

Metro Police detectives are investigating the contamination of a youth football team's water jug that resulted in eight children becoming violently ill.

A toxicology report showed that an over-the-counter drug Ipecac was poured into the water jug that a Nevada Youth Football League team was using at a practice Tuesday night.

Ipecac, a plant extract that induces vomiting, is generally used to force poison out of a person's system.

"Detectives are looking into it, and there could be a felony charge of willfully poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine," Sgt. Chris Darcy said.

Five of the children who drank the water were taken to University Medical Center for treatment, and the others who drank from the jug were taken to MountainView Hospital, Darcy said. All of the children were treated and released from the hospitals.

Detectives have not yet determined who put the Ipecac in the water, and if charges are made they will be submitted to the district attorney's office to decide if prosecution is warranted.

The Nevada Youth Football League has teams for children ages 7 to 15, and the players that were sick Tuesday were in the 12 to 14 age group, league president George Schriver said.

"I think most of them were back out at practice Thursday night," Schriver said of the sick players.