HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Two people are accused of placing an unresponsive teen, who later died, in a bathtub at a Hernando County home on Wednesday, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
One suspect, Joshua Ware, 18, allegedly showed up at a home on Bancroft Avenue after midnight, and with the help of James Briski, 24, carried the teen from the vehicle to the home, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said the teen was overheating after ingesting cocaine. Ware and Briski were accused of placing her in a bathtub with cold water, ice and frozen foods to lower her temperature.
After the teen’s condition worsened, Briski allegedly said she stopped breathing, and at about 3:30 a.m., they called 911 and got rid of the cocaine and frozen food, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Ware reportedly started chest compressions on the teen, who was eventually taken to a hospital where she died, according to deputies.
Briski reportedly told deputies there was Xanax and Cocaine in Ware’s car, deputies said.
Ware was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and trafficking in fentanyl, according to the sheriff’s office. Briski was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and possession of cocaine.
Ware’s bond was set at $170,000, and Briski’s was set at $30,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
Prosecutors said the charges could get upgraded, pending the results of the autopsy.
