“The Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office has completed its investigation of any possible criminal intent reference to the Kent Island High School Football Team Incident

On the night of the incident, detectives went to Easton Memorial Hospital and Anne Arundel County Medical Center to interview members of the football team that had become ill during the practice. On days following detectives also interviewed the players that had been released from the hospitals prior to their arrival.

The findings of the investigation include:

· The water source was the same source used by other sports teams practicing that day

· Not all of the persons who drank from the water container became ill

· However all persons who became ill did drink from the water container

· A total of fifteen athletes and three coaches were taken to hospitals for symptoms

· Of the eighteen persons transported, seventeen were released later that evening. One boy was held overnight for observation and released the following day.

· The water container is clearly marked that it is to be sanitized and flushed before every use and to drain it after each use

· Interviews of the coaching staff and players indicate that the unit had been cleaned twice. Once by the coaching staff and the second time by persons unknown.

· The responsibility of the water container was assigned to unidentified members of the JV or Freshman football teams

· The sanitizing tablets used was Steramine, it is unknown how many tablets were used that day

· The detectives learned during interviews that the water container was nearly emptied of the original water and was refilled from the same water source after players started to become ill. Any water that was seized to be tested was diluted from the original filling.

· The grounds keeper of the field stated that no pesticides had been used on the field and that it was last fertilized on or about July 25th.

· That a memo from the Athletic Trainer on the scene stated that “”all injuries showed suspected heat illness at first but due to the likeness of symptoms and the fact that coaches were sick too leads trainer to believe maybe the water cooler was not rinsed out well from the cleaning solution… However the hospital was not convinced of this because the boys did not say the water was bitter””

· A letter dated September 3, 2009 from John E. Nickerson, Director of Environmental Health Services for Queen Anne’s County Department of Health states that lab tests of the water cooler show no specific chemical, pesticide, poison or microbial agent present that would implicate itself as the causal agent for the football players observed illness. The letter goes on stating that the water cooler was described as “”dirty”” on the inside by the Laboratory Microbiology Section. However, they did not feel this observed condition could be the cause of the illness of the players. The blue tablets contained in a white plastic bottle labeled as steramine were examined and their correlation factor of .85753 is considered slightly low for the active ingredient.

Dr. Devadason feels that the water source is unlikely to have caused the symptoms in the players.

· The lab report attached shows that it was determined that results of MPN were measured at 43 and E Coli at less than 1. The heterotrophic plate was measured at greater than 5,700.

The Sheriff’s Office investigation has resulted in no criminal actions or intent being found and their investigation is considered a closed case.”