Daughter accused of spiking mom's food

DADE CITY -- A 16-year-old Pasco High School student was arrested Tuesday, accused of intentionally spiking her mother's food to set off a serious allergic reaction: anaphylactic shock.

The teen was arrested on a charge of aggravated domestic battery, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report, and was booked into the Juvenile Assessment Center.

The victim, a 39-year-old Lacoochee mother, told deputies she has numerous food allergies. Some are so severe that she must keep with her at all times an EpiPen, a spring-loaded auto injector of epinephrine, or adrenaline, to immediately treat anaphylactic shock.

She had to use the EpiPen on May 7, deputies say, to halt a severe allergic reaction to something she had eaten. The mother said she continued to experience unexplained allergic reactions.

The family always suspected the teenager. When the teen was questioned by deputies, according to a sheriff's report, she admitted to intentionally spiking her mother's food with seasoning salt.

The teen's 11-year-old sister said she remembered her older sister using the salt. But she said her older sister threatened to "beat her up until she was dead," if she said anything, the report said.

The teen suspect told deputies she knew it was wrong and that she was sorry.

-- Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer