HAMILTON TWP. — Three of six Little Miami High School freshmen who were taken to the hospital last week with suspected drug overdoses now face criminal charges.

        Police also have increased charges against the class mate accused of selling them the prescription drug, authorities said Friday.

        Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Andy Sievers said the freshman boy, already charged with trafficking in the sleeping pill Ambien, faces a second trafficking charge as well as seven counts of drug possession.

        That boy was released from the Warren County Juvenile Detention Center late last week.

        Township Police Chief Gene Duvelius said the investigation indicated that the teen-age suspect apparently had other types of drugs for sale.

        A girl, who told police she took one Ambien tablet, faces five counts of drug possession because authorities said she was carrying a variety of prescription drugs for the student dealer.

        He said the girl possessed 20 pills, including the painkiller Vicodin, which is a favorite among abusers.

        The two other students were charged with a single count of drug possession.

        All seven teens who were thought to be involved in the incident remained suspended from school, Little Miami district officials said Friday.

        The teens who were charged were cited to Warren County Juvenile Court and are expected to appear in two to three weeks, Mr. Sievers said.

        The incident began to un fold about 10:50 a.m. Feb. 7 after a 15-year-old boy began acting strangely during his second-period class.

        The boy told school officials he had taken five Ambien pills and that he and five other students had bought the drug from a classmate. The six teens were sent to Jewish Hospital as a precaution and released after some received treatment and all underwent drug screens.

        Authorities said earlier that the boy accused of selling 11 Ambien pills to the students for $1 apiece apparently had received a prescription from his doctor for treatment of a medical condition.

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