What did Jennifer Lynn Rossi do? Texas mom arrested after child’s alleged bully hospitalized

Jennifer Lynn Rossi, a 45-year-old Texas mother, was arrested on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, after a student was hospitalized for consuming a drink she mixed to prevent him from stealing from her son, NBC reported.

According to a statement from the Bexar County sheriff's office, Rossi is accused of mixing lemon, salt, and vinegar into a sports drink bottle to "prevent her son’s drink from being stolen at school by other students."

NBC, citing a written statement from Rossi’s 10-year-old son, reported his drink went missing the day before the incident at recess, and he allegedly heard the victim brag, “he had it.”

Rossi then reportedly decided to teach the kid a lesson by mixing lemon, salt, and vinegar into a sports drink bottle, which was then offered by her son to the victim during PE class on Tuesday. The victim reportedly experienced nausea and a headache shortly after he drank the laced concoction, prompting the Legacy Traditional School in Alamo Ranch to contact authorities.

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Charges against Jennifer Lynn Rossi explored

Jennifer Lynn Rossi was charged with injury to a child causing bodily injury for mixing her child's drink with lemon, salt, and vinegar to prevent his child’s bully from stealing her son’s bottle in the future.

Detailing the incident, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday that deputies were dispatched to Legacy Traditional School in Alamo Ranch on reports of a sick child. Upon arrival, officers learned that the sick child was given a drink by a classmate during PE class and began experiencing nausea and a headache after consuming it. In a statement on Facebook, the police wrote:

“The drink provided was found to contain a mixture of lemon, salt and vinegar inside a sports drink bottle. Shortly after the child consumed the drink, he began experiencing nausea and a headache.”

During their investigation, deputies learned that the mother of the student, Jennifer Lynn Rossi, intentionally provided the drink with mixed contents to allegedly prevent her son's drink from being stolen at school by other students.

Authorities said that although the contents of the drink were non-toxic, the incident resulted in a child being hospitalized. They added:

“Hospital staff informed the investigator that the child victim required additional medical monitoring and would eventually be discharged from the hospital.”

In a statement, Sheriff Javier Salazar told USA TODAY, the allegations of bullying did not justify the mother taking matters into her own hands and endangering the life of another child.

"Whether the allegations of bullying at the root of this situation are substantiated or not, there is never an excuse to take matters into your own hands and injure a child.”

Rossi was reportedly transported and booked into the jail following her arrest.