Madison Central student hospitalized after naked episode
The student allegedly took off his clothes in class until he was naked, then ran out the east door of the high school.
A Madison Central student is still hospitalized after allegedly stripping down in the middle of class on Tuesday and running to a nearby church.
Madison Police Department Major Robert Sanders said the 19-year-old student, who has not been identified, started taking off his clothes in class until he was completely naked, and then ran out the east door of the high school. He went from there across the practice field, and into a wooded area. A construction crew told police that they had seen him run toward Broadmoor Baptist Church.
Sanders said police set up a perimeter to try to find the teen, and meanwhile he spoke with an acquaintance at Broadmoor.
"I asked if he'd seen an individual that fit that description and he said, 'We have, and he's in our restroom,'" Sanders said.
Police located him still in the restroom, unclothed, distraught, and disoriented, Sanders said. Medical personnel were called to the scene and the teen was taken to the hospital.
Sanders said officials are looking into the case and bloodwork has been sent away to see if the student could have been under the influence of something.
"It's too early to speculate on anything in regards to that," he said. Asked about reports of possible spice use, he said, "That among other items is what we're looking into. We're not ruling it out."
The recent rise of spice and other synthetic drugs is an alarming trend, Sanders said.
"It's sad, it really is. It's almost to the point of an epidemic. These synthetic drugs... a lot of these kids are looking for an alternative to get around the drug tests, and they're putting poison in their bodies," he said.
"It's like playing Russian roulette every time. People are mixing the stuff up in bathtubs and spraying it down with chemicals," he said.
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow @TRex21 on Twitter.