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It could take 90 days before Ankeny police know whether brownies found in an Ankeny High School student's backpack were laced with marijuana, but the teen faces several drug charges because he claimed to be selling drug-filled treats, authorities said Tuesday.
Joshua Cole, 16, was charged last week with possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of the drug tax stamp law. A second teen, Christopher Glover, 16, was charged with possession.
Authorities said Cole was selling brownies to students at the school Friday, claiming they contained marijuana. An assistant principal heard of the sales and called police.
Officers "were alerted that something suspicious was going on," said Lt. Arnie Porath, public information officer for the Ankeny Police Department.
Porath said Cole had about 20 brownies and eight bags with small amounts of marijuana in his backpack. Police found additional drug paraphernalia when they searched Cole's vehicle and home, Porath said.
Ankeny High School Principal Brenda Colby said Tuesday that Cole and Glover could receive school punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion. She declined to release the students' grade levels.
Colby, who took her post this summer, said other educators and staff can't recall a similar incident at Ankeny High School. Drug education is offered in the health and wellness classes, she said, and school officials have no plans to put students through additional training because of the incident.
Police are not sure how Cole got the brownies or whether he made them himself, Porath said, because Cole refused to speak to investigators. It is possible the brownies did not include marijuana, Porath said.
The brownies were sent to a lab for examination. Ankeny police have equipment to study most marijuana, Porath said.
"We test our own (confiscated) marijuana here," Porath said, "but not marijuana brownies."
It could take 90 days before Ankeny police know whether brownies found in an Ankeny High School student's backpack were laced with marijuana, but the teen faces several drug charges because he claimed to be selling drug-filled treats, authorities said Tuesday.
Joshua Cole, 16, was charged last week with possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of the drug tax stamp law. A second teen, Christopher Glover, 16, was charged with possession.
Authorities said Cole was selling brownies to students at the school Friday, claiming they contained marijuana. An assistant principal heard of the sales and called police.
Officers "were alerted that something suspicious was going on," said Lt. Arnie Porath, public information officer for the Ankeny Police Department.
Porath said Cole had about 20 brownies and eight bags with small amounts of marijuana in his backpack. Police found additional drug paraphernalia when they searched Cole's vehicle and home, Porath said.
Ankeny High School Principal Brenda Colby said Tuesday that Cole and Glover could receive school punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion. She declined to release the students' grade levels.
Colby, who took her post this summer, said other educators and staff can't recall a similar incident at Ankeny High School. Drug education is offered in the health and wellness classes, she said, and school officials have no plans to put students through additional training because of the incident.
Police are not sure how Cole got the brownies or whether he made them himself, Porath said, because Cole refused to speak to investigators. It is possible the brownies did not include marijuana, Porath said.
The brownies were sent to a lab for examination. Ankeny police have equipment to study most marijuana, Porath said.
"We test our own (confiscated) marijuana here," Porath said, "but not marijuana brownies."
