Florida Bride Accused Of Lacing Wedding Meal With Marijuana Grins As She Is Questioned By Police
The wedding guests had no idea.
Seminole County Sheriff's Office / Facebook A Florida bride and her caterer have been arrested after guests at the woman's wedding were allegedly drugged with marijuana without their consent.
The bride, Danya Shea Svoboda, 42, and the caterer, Jocelyn Montrinice Bryant, 31, were arrested last week and face charges of violating Florida’s anti-tampering laws, delivery of marijuana, and culpable negligence.
Svoboda had gotten married at The Springs Clubhouse in Longwood, Florida, on February 19 with between 30 to 40 guests in attendance. The event was catered by Bryant, the owner of Joycelyn's Southern Kitchen.
The bride and caterer are accused of intentionally lacing food with marijuana.
Police were called to the wedding after a 41-year-old guest said he was "feeling weird." He told authorities that he felt like he "had drugs inside him," even though he only ate food and drank wine at the event.
It wasn't long before multiple guests said they also felt high, with one guest telling officers "he would wish to prosecute" anyone who was responsible for his consumption of weed-infused food.
Many of the guests at the wedding complained of stomach pains and vomiting, leading to some being taken to South Seminole Hospital after first responders arrived on the scene.
When police asked the bride and groom whether they had consented to or requested that the food served at their wedding would contain cannabis products, the groom, Andrew Svoboda, denied having any idea that the food was laced.
However, one of the arrest warrant affidavits alleges the bride "agreed to and allowed Joycelyn Montrinice Bryant to lace the food she served ... with cannabis unbeknownst to the attendees, many of whom became very ill and required medical attention."
One of the wedding guests told authorities that she'd seen Bryant putting a green substance in the olive oil before serving it. The guest said it looked and smelled like marijuana “shakes,” which are the “small scraps that fall off of larger amounts of marijuana."
The woman added that she later asked both Bryant and Svoboda if there was weed in the olive oil, and they both said yes.
Another guest said after she realized she was high, she asked the bride if "she had put marijuana in the olive oil," according to the affidavits. The guest told a deputy she answered "yes" and "acted excited."
Deputies collected food and glassware from the wedding venue that had been used by guests, including a beer glass, lasagna and desserts. The lasagna later tested positive for THC, according to documents.
Another woman who had been at the wedding told officers her daughter had gotten sick during the reception. When the woman went to get water, a server told her the cannabis had probably made her daughter sick.
“I don’t know why. I think that is the biggest question on all of our minds in speaking with some of the family members,” one guest told WESH 2. “We want an explanation.”
The two women were released on bond on Monday but could face up to 5 years in prison and a $500 fine.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.