Police investigating insulin, broken glass found in shaved ice at Albert Gallatin event
State police are investigating an incident at an Albert Gallatin Area School District event Thursday night in which shaved ice served by a vendor contained insulin and broken glass, the district’s superintendent said in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon.
No parents or students had reported any serious injuries or illness from the shaved ice, which was served at the A.L. Wilson Elementary School’s Trunk or Treat event, Superintendent Chris Pegg said in the statement, which was posted to the district’s Facebook page.
Trooper Kalee Barnhart said the shaved ice truck vendor is cooperating fully with the investigation and had been the first one to alert others to the situation.
The vendor, Mark Howard, said in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon after hearing an unusual sound from the machine, he discovered a small vial of insulin had gotten mixed with the ice and briefly came into contact with the grinder.
It was “a matter of minutes” between when he reloaded the ice and when he stopped serving, Howard said. He continued serving from a second, unaffected machine.
“Because of how quickly it was discovered and with how the machine operates, I did not believe there was any risk to anyone,” he said. “Still, I immediately notified the school officials on site out of an abundance of caution and transparency.”
Howard apologized for the incident, and said safety was his highest priority.
“I take this matter very seriously and have already reviewed and strengthened procedures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again,” he said.
An earlier post had urged anyone who had eaten the ice and experienced any ill effects to contact the district and seek medical attention.
“We are thankful for our community and staff members who helped spread the word rapidly so parents would be able to have their child/children checked by medical professionals if they were experiencing any adverse effects from consuming the shaved ice,” Pegg said in the statement.
Pegg was unavailable for comment Thursday afternoon. An assistant referred back to the district’s statement.