A Texas mother is facing charges after allegedly giving Jell-O shots to fifth-grade students at a school holiday party.
Teresa Bernal was charged with felony child injury after multiple students consumed vodka-laced treats at Jones Elementary School in Tyler on December 20.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit filed in Smith County District Court and obtained by PEOPLE, students had already consumed nearly all of the shots when staff discovered they contained vodka.
Bernal denied knowing there was alcohol in the Jell-O shots during an interview with the elementary school’s peace officer, Darrin Grissom.
According to the affidavit, she also claimed that she was unaware that Jell-O shots contained alcohol until that day.
When teachers became aware of the situation, they directed all students who had consumed any of the Jell-O shots to the school nurse. Grissom states in the affidavit that he spoke with 15 of those students, and “nearly all of them reported having stomachaches and headaches.”
At least two students experienced more severe reactions to the shots.
According to Grissom’s affidavit, one student “told me he vomited twice at school that day” and another “‘passed out’ at school that day.”
The affidavit also states that some of the Jell-O shots were topped with whipped cream and strawberries, while others were more holiday-themed.
Grissom then contacted the store where Bernal purchased the Jell-O shots, and the employee who took the order agreed to share her conversation with the mother.
According to the complaint, Bernal asked the person if the Jell-O shots contained alcohol on the day of the class party. At this point, the children had already consumed the shots.
Grissom also claims that the Facebook ad through which Bernal placed her order explicitly stated that the shots were made with vodka.
“In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jello-O shots she purchased… contained drinking alcohol,” Grissom says in the arrest affidavit.
Bernal was booked into jail on April 21, and her bail has been set at $75,000.
She has not yet appeared in court and does not currently have a lawyer.
