No Criminal Charges Expected In School Committee's Laxative-Laced Brownies Incident

The alleged laxative-laced brownies delivered to the Nantucket School Committee by local government critic Meghan Perry earlier this month prompted a police investigation, but no criminal charges are expected to be filed, according to a report obtained by the Current this week.

Nantucket Police Department Detective Keith Mansfield spoke to the Cape & Islands District Attorney's office on June 5 about the incident to inquire whether any criminal charges would apply.

"It was determined that nothing of a criminal nature occurred related to this incident," Mansfield wrote in a supplemental police report. "It was noted that this documented incident would constitute a first complaint regarding criminal harassment and any further occurrences should be reported and documented with the police. If other such incidents should occur and be properly documented with the police department, then the possibility of criminal harassment charges could be brought forward at a later date."

In the aftermath of the bizarre situation, which made national headlines, School Committee chair Laura Gallagher Byrne reported the incident to police. On June 3, one day after the meeting, Gallagher Byrne went to the police station and was interviewed about what happened. An officer reviewed the recording of the meeting, in which Perry went to the podium during the public comment period and offered the Committee a plate of brownies covered in aluminum foil.

“It’s my understanding they do have a non-detect level of Ex-Lax in them,” Perry said of the brownies during the meeting, referring to a laxative. “But I figured since we’re okay with a non-detect level of PFAS, it would probably be okay.”

Perry’s offer appears to have been intended as a metaphor about the testing standards for a proposed artificial turf field slated for installation at Vito Capizzo Stadium, which she has opposed.

Byrne told Officer Jill Johnson that the comment "made the majority of the Nantucket School Committee uncomfortable," and asked that police reach out to Perry regarding the situation. Officer Johnson contacted Perry, according to a police report, and advised her of the School Committee's concerns.

"Perry did not want to discuss this matter much further without counsel," the report states.

Shortly after the meeting, Perry had told the Current that the brownies were “safe to eat," but she has not commented about the matter since. The brownies in question were thrown in the garbage after the meeting and were never tested for laxatives. None were consumed.

A staunch opponent of the proposed turf field, Perry is often markedly assertive during her public comments. The brownies appear to be a metaphor for the turf field, which the Nantucket Public Schools will test for the so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS. PFAS are linked to human health problems, including cancer. Some opponents of the field have criticized the proposed detection thresholds for the tests the school system plans to use, saying that levels of PFAS below those thresholds could still be dangerous.

Representatives of the Nantucket Public Schools have assured the community that the tests will be stringent, and the broader athletic facilities renovation plan, which includes the field, passed overwhelmingly at Town Meeting and the local election. The exact testing regime is still under negotiation between the Nantucket Public Schools and the Nantucket Land and Water Council, a local environmental non-profit, though the two sides are close to an accord.

Byrne told the Current that she was “shocked” by what had happened.

“Public comment is an opportunity to voice concerns in a manner that respects everyone in the room. It is not a place for displays that appear intended to provoke, ridicule, or diminish the dignity of the process or the people involved,” she wrote. “It is unfortunate that this step is necessary, but the safety of the committee, staff, and community must be taken seriously.”