JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Flagler County man charged with tampering with a 14-year-old boy's medication has been found guilty.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says Craig Alan Ripple, 54, was placing laxative type drugs into medicine capsules that were prescribed to the teen.
Ripple has been sentenced to 14 months in a state prison followed by 36 months of probation upon his release, according to FCSO.
Ripple was re-booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility soon after the verdict.
FCSO began investigating a potential child abuse case on Aug. 7, 2019.
The reporting party alleged that Ripple had been tampering with her 14-year-old son’s medication, removing items belonging to the victim and his sister, and other odd behaviors.
The mother was able to provide FCSO with the tampered medication as well as security footage from the residence showing Ripple removing items from a child’s bedroom.
Detectives say they met with the mother and two juveniles involved in this case on Aug.8, 2019.
The mother explained to deputies that while giving her son his nightly dose of medication, it appeared that the pill had been tampered with. After dismantling the tablet, she found several round pink tablets with a black “5” printed on them.
Deputies say she was able to identify these pink tablets as laxatives.
She also told detectives that her son was refusing to take the medication as he claimed it tasted strange and was making him ill.
Detectives met with Ripple, and he reportedly admitted to tampering with the medication and inserting pink anti-diarrheal tablets into the juvenile’s medication capsules.
Of the medication turned over to the detectives, 11 of the 28 capsules had been tampered with.
“This is a very bizarre case and it takes a sick and twisted individual to administer laxatives to a child without his or his mother’s knowledge,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I hope the courts deal harshly with him and that this is a wakeup call that this behavior is dangerous and will not be tolerated. Thankfully the victim was not significantly injured.”
A warrant was signed on April 24, 2020 for the arrest of Ripple. Detectives located and took him into custody on charges of child abuse and child neglect.
The victim has since moved out of state and is no longer in contact with the suspect.
