An incident in which a water cooler was tampered with at a recent college baseball game in Lindsborg between Bethany College and Kansas Wesleyan University may have been the handiwork of a couple of juveniles.

According to the Lindsborg Police Department, on April 24the  2022, KWU contacted the agency to file a police report regarding a foreign substance found in their baseball team’s water cooler while at Bethany College for a game. Shortly thereafter, Bethany College contacted the police department to report the same incident. A police report was filed and both colleges agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

This incident generated wide-reaching media interest after initial comments on social media claimed that a college baseball program deliberately contaminated an opponent’s water cooler.

Allegations were made that the foreign substance found in the water of KWU’s cooler was paint thinner. Based on information obtained through the investigation, it has been determined that the foreign substance was not paint thinner, but rather line paint used on the field and to touch up bases.

The Lindsborg Police Department has conducted over 60 interviews so far, collected multiple pieces of evidence, photographed the scene, and followed various leads. The agency says though the investigation is active and ongoing, it has been determined that no one associated with either college was responsible for tampering with the water cooler.

The Lindsborg Police Department has identified two male juveniles as being involved in this incident and are continuing to investigate this matter.