Drugs stolen from a
cancer patient may have caused the death of a Catoosa County teenager
and led to the arrest of one of his friends.The body of Timothy
Lebron Smith, 16, was found on Saturday. Catoosa County Sheriff Phil
Summers said Smith had taken four 80 mg. Oxycodone pills given to him
Friday by a classmate at Ringgold High School. Three other students,
including the suspect, also took several pills each and became sick,
according to Summers. One had to be hospitalized.Sheriff Summers
said investigators believe the 15-year-old suspect stole the Oxycodone
from his grandfather's lock box. Oxycodone is a prescription pain
reliever."Oxycodone is a time-released drug," Sheriff Summers
told the Catoosa County News. "They were probably uneducated about the
drug, took a couple pills and when they felt no effect, they took more.
By the time they knew something was wrong, it was too late."
LINK: Timothy Smith's Obituary
The teen faces voluntary manslaughter and drug charges. He will be prosecuted as a juvenile."Ringgold
High School has suffered a tragic loss over the weekend," Catoosa
County School Superintendent Denia Reese said in a release. "The
school, board of education and all employees are mourning the loss of
this student."
KNOW WHAT YOURE TAKING
