4 GVSU dorm students hospitalized

ALLENDALE, Mich. (WOOD) - Four Grand Valley State University students were hospitalized Monday night after they possibly ingested street drugs, according to a GVSU spokesperson.

Grand Valley State University Public Safety officers were called around 7 p.m. to the Frey Living Center, a freshmen student dormitory, after two students were acting irrationally.

It is not known at this time if all four students lived in this building.

GVSU Dean of Students Bart Merkle answered media questions Tuesday afternoon, and said the university deals with the same issues as colleges around the country. He said they were awaiting tests to determine what drug or drugs may have been consumed, and would not speculate on anything.

Two freshmen, Stephen Annese and Josh Stein live in that dorm and spoke with 24 Hour News 8.

"I've never seen someone so, they were messed up, like what was going through their head," Stein said. "I don't know what it was, but they were totally different. It was just a totally different person talking to them."

Annese said the incident "was weird. It was so much to take in in such a little amount of time." But when asked if students use the now-banned bath salts, he said, "I think that's very rare."

Stein said when police were trying to get into the dorm, one student "was yelling, the other one was laughing." He didn't know what drug they may have taken, but said it's "a drug no one should be near."

"I think the fact we knew them personally, we've hung out with them before, to see the normal them and to see that was just really shocking," he said.
 

24 Hour News 8's Ryan Takeo contributed to this report.