Stepdad's Drinks Were Spiked With Cattle Tranquilizer
Wisconsin boy, 17, thought actions were "funny"
MARCH 4--A Wisconsin teenager accused of injecting cattle tranquilizer in his stepfather’s energy drinks thought his actions were “funny” and would not harm 
the victim, according to police who arrested the minor on a pair of felony charges.
Investigators allege that Tyler Rabenhorst-Malone, 17, adulterated his kin’s drinks last year. The teen, cops say, used a sedative often administered to cows giving birth. The victim, a dairy farmer, had stored the drug in a barn.
According to a criminal complaint, after Rabenhorst-Malone first spiked his stepfather’s drink, the victim was left stumbling and suffering slurred speech, a droopy face, and heavy breathing. Doctors at a Madison hospital concluded that the symptoms were a result of stress, lack of sleep, and the victim’s consumption of energy drinks.
The odd symptoms returned months later, prompting the victim to conclude that Rabenhorst-Malone was “messing with him.” As a result, the man no longer left his drinks unattended. In conjunction with his increased vigilance, the victim’s symptoms disappeared.
The victim told police that he had discovered two syringes--“shoved into a corner” of the barn--which he thought Rabenhorst-Malone used to inject the tranquilizer.
Suspecting that his energy drinks had been tampered with, the victim subsequently provided samples of two beverages to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory tests revealed the one of 
the drinks contained Xylazine, which is used for the sedation of animals like horses and cattle. Used syringes provided by the victim also tested positive for the animal tranquilizer.
During police questioning last month, Rabenhorst-Malone reportedly confessed to spiking the drinks, saying he thought it was “funny.” The teen added that he never intended to hurt his stepfather.
Seen above, Rabenhorst-Malone has been charged with placing foreign objects in edibles and recklessly endangering safety, both felonies. The teen is scheduled for an initial Circuit Court appearance on March 18.
According to the court complaint, Rabenhorst-Malone’s mother told cops that her son was expelled from high school last March “for hacking school emails.” (3 pages)
