Florida bride, caterer arrested after guests become ill from drug-laced wedding food

LONGWOOD, Fla. — The bride wore white. Some of her guests wore green faces.

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A Florida bride and a wedding caterer are accused of serving guests food laced with drugs, authorities said. The food caused several wedding guests to become ill, WFTV reported.

The bride, Danya Shea Glenny Svoboda, 42, of Longwood, and caterer Joycelyn Montrinice Bryant, 31, were each charged with counts of tampering, culpable negligence and delivery of marijuana, according to Seminole County online court records.

According to an affidavit filed in Seminole County court, deputies responded to a medical call for assistance on Feb. 19 at a wedding reception at The Springs Clubhouse in Longwood that included 50 guests. Several guests told responders that they had been experiencing stomach pains, and one man in his 40s asked to be taken to an area hospital because he was “feeling weird” and felt like he “had drugs inside him,” while another guest complained of “feeling high,” according to the affidavit. One man called an Uber to be taken to the hospital, according to the affidavit.

“We’re all just enjoying and celebrating our friend’s success on the dance floor, having fun catching the bouquet,” wedding guest Miranda Cady told WFTV. “(Then) I just started feeling a little bit dizzy, just kind of like the room was spinning a little bit and things were distorted.”

According to the affidavit, deputies approached Glenny Svoboda and the groom, Andrew Svoboda, and asked them if cannabis was put into the wedding food. Andrew Svoboda stared at the deputy “with a blank expression for a few moments before stuttering through a ‘no.’” The bride also denied the food had been tampered with.

Bryant, identified as the owner of the catering service Joycelyn’s Southern Kitchen, had already left the premises with her workers, the affidavit stated.

The sheriff’s office linked Glenny and Bryant to the charge after interviewing witnesses, victims and other caterers the day after the wedding, according to WFTV. Deputies took several plates of discarded food for testing, the affidavit stated.

Glassware was also taken for testing, the affidavit stated. Some of the food tested included chocolate-covered strawberries, wine glasses, pudding shots, cookies, brownies and even a “handful of lasagna,” according to the report.

According to the affidavit, the lasagna and a piece of bread collected at the scene tested positive for THC.

Glenny Svoboda and Bryant were arrested Monday, according to WFTV. They could not be reached for comment, the television station reported.

Cady said she feels violated and wants an apology and an explanation, according to WFTV.

“I actually text(ed) myself at one time a message just in case I didn’t make through the night,” Cady told the television station. “Whatever the reason, I think people just want an explanation.”

Glenny Svoboda will appear in court on June 7, according to court records.

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