Twelve Hospitalized Following Co-Op Party

Three people were arrested yesterday on felony drug charges after 12 UC Berkeley students were hospitalized after consuming what police think were marijuana-laced cookies at a co-op party Wednesday night.

Most of the hospitalized students had been released early yesterday morning, hospital officials said. Police say two UC Berkeley students and one recent graduate are suspected of supplying the drugs to the partygoers at the Cloyne Court.

UC Berkeley sophomore Carmen Anderson, senior Michael Tobias and 2005 graduate Christopher Portka were taken into custody yesterday at about 7 a.m. by UC police, said UCPD Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya.

Both Anderson and Portka were arrested on suspicion of 12 counts of furnishing marijuana and one count each of possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of psilocybin, or hallucinogenic mushrooms, and possession of a synthetic drug, Celaya said.

Tobias was arrested on suspicion of one count of furnishing and one count of possessing marijuana, police said.

Tobias and Anderson also face possible disciplinary action from the university, according to a statement by the university.

At about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the UCPD and Berkeley Fire Department responded to a 911 call from a female partygoer complaining of "extreme anxiety, numbness in her hands and feet, hallucinations and a shortness of breath," Celaya said.

When fire department officials arrived on the scene they found other partygoers exhibiting similar symptoms and called for backup from the fire department and the UCPD, Celaya said.

Paramedics treated approximately 16 partygoers, transporting 12 to local hospitals for evaluation and observation.

"Most of them were just high," Celaya said.

Many of the partygoers brought to the hospital were quickly discharged and sent home, said Carolyn Kemp, spokesperson for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, two partygoers were still under observation, she said.

UCPD entered the house after interviewing partygoers and determining that all of the affected people "ate some cookies that contained some sort of a controlled substance," Celaya said.

"At this point we believe that (Anderson and Portka) made the cookies and Tobias furnished the marijuana," Celaya said.

Only Anderson is a resident of the Cloyne Court co-op, which is one of the largest on campus, with 149 residents.

"What happened last night is an isolated incident where adults didn't know their limits," said Nathan Danielsen, the student house manager of the co-op. "We don't condone any of their actions."

Several other members of the co-op would not comment on the arrests or hospitalizations.

"Something of this magnitude is really rare," Celaya said. "I've been here for 23 years and this is the first time we've had to respond to something like this."

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