CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. -- Drugs stolen from a cancer patient may have caused the death of a Catoosa County teenager and led to the arrest of one of his friends.The body of Timothy Lebron Smith, 16, was found on Saturday. Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said Smith had taken four 80 mg. Oxycodone pills given to him Friday by a classmate at Ringgold High School. Three other students, including the suspect, also took several pills each and became sick, according to Summers. One had to be hospitalized.Sheriff Summers said investigators believe the 15-year-old suspect stole the Oxycodone from his grandfather's lock box. Oxycodone is a prescription pain reliever."Oxycodone is a time-released drug," Sheriff Summers told the Catoosa County News. "They were probably uneducated about the drug, took a couple pills and when they felt no effect, they took more. By the time they knew something was wrong, it was too late."
The teen faces voluntary manslaughter and drug charges. He will be prosecuted as a juvenile."Ringgold High School has suffered a tragic loss over the weekend," Catoosa County School Superintendent Denia Reese said in a release. "The school, board of education and all employees are mourning the loss of this student."
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