A Florida bride and her caterer face felony charges after they allegedly dosed unwitting wedding guests with a weed-laced menu, sending several to the hospital.
Now, the dazed and confused revelers are pressing charges.
Bride Danya Shea Glenny Svoboda, 42, and wedding caterer Joycelyn Montrinice Bryant, 31, were charged on April 18 with delivering marijuana, tampering with guests’ food and misdemeanor culpable negligence.
Both parties turned themselves into the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department, have since been released and are scheduled for arraignment on June 7.
About 50 guests attended the February 19 wedding reception at The Springs Clubhouse in Longwood, which became a weed-fueled disaster after several unwitting guests helped themselves to marijuana-infused chocolate-covered strawberries, pudding ‘shot’ desserts and lasagna.
When police asked whether guests had requested or consented to the food offerings, groom Andrew Svoboda allegedly ‘stared at Deputy Donald Schwaezman with a blank expression for a few moments before replying “no,”‘ according to the arrest warrant for his now-wife.
One guest told police that he’d texted the groom asking whether the food had been drugged after his wife fell ill and was taken to South Seminole Hospital – Andrew Svoboda allegedly told that guest that he didn’t know.
Deputies took samples of food and silverware for testing, including a bowl, several glasses, a plate and a ‘handful of lasagna [that] was taken directly from a large container of lasagna that was place out during the event.’
Meanwhile, many of the wedding guests were not feeling particularly mellow.
ide Danya Shea Glenny Svoboda, 42, and Joycelyn Montrinice Bryant, 31, were charged on April 18 with delivering marijuana, tampering with guests’ food and misdemeanor culpable negligence after allegedly dosing wedding guests with weed – without warning them first
About 50 guests attended the February 19 wedding reception at The Springs Clubhouse in Longwood, which became a weed-fueled disaster after several unwitting guests helped themselves with marijuana-infused chocolate-covered strawberries, pudding ‘shot’ desserts and lasagna
When concerned guests asked the best man, a Department of Justice employee, what was happening, he was allegedly unresponsive, the police said.
One woman told police she felt ‘numb, helpless and her mind was playing strange things in her head.’ She believed that her son-in-law had died and her family hadn’t told her, and described seeing ‘the side of a house.’
Later, at the hospital, the police wrote she was ‘loud and unruly and had to be given something to calm down.’
Another guest, who traveled to the Florida wedding from Michigan, told deputies that after drinking three glasses of white wine and eating two meatballs, Caesar salad, tortellini, and ‘bread with an olive oil and herb dip,’ he ‘felt tingly, his heart started to race, and [he] what having crazy thoughts,’
A third guest vomited profusely, police said, and yet another was ‘so drugged that he was having difficult[y] operating his cellphone to order an Uber’ to take him to a hospital.
Every guest tested for cannabis showed positive results, according to the arrest warrant, and none who were interviewed by police said they knew their food had been laced with marijuana.
Each said they would prosecute whoever tampered with the menu.
By the time police arrived, employees of Bryant’s catering service, ‘Joycelyn’s Southern Kitchen,’ were fleeing into their vehicles and away from the venue.
They learned that Bryant was the caterer by questioning security staff.
Bryant, the caterer, allegedly told Miranda Cady about the food’s secret ingredient – Cady told police that she thought Bryant was joking, and ate anyway.
By the time police arrived, employees of Bryant’s catering service, ‘Joycelyn’s Southern Kitchen,’ were fleeing into their vehicles and away from the venue. Bryant is pictured here in a promotional photo
Oe woman told police that she saw Bryant, pictured, removing a ‘green substance’ from a punch bowl, placing it into ramekins and mixing it with olive oil
She told police that she saw Bryant removing a ‘green substance’ from a punch bowl, placing it into ramekins and mixing it with olive oil.
‘It should be noted what [Cady] was referring to what is commonly referred to as marijuana ‘shake,’ which is the small scraps that fall off larger amounts of marijuana, the affidavit read.
After she snacked on the bread and oil, Cady ‘felt stoned.’ Then, Svoboda told her that there was marijuana in the food, ‘acting like [Cady] should have been excited as though she were being given a gift.’
Cady told police she ‘felt like her heart was going to stop’ and went to lay down in her car, where she ‘sent a text to herself so if she died in her car someone would know what happened to her.’
