An Ohio mom was arrested on child endangerment charges after her 9-year-old son brought marijuana-laced gummy bears from home to his elementary school, prompting alarm after 14 students who ate them became sick.
The report of ill children brought officers and EMS workers to Anton Grdina School about 1:45 p.m. Monday. “Some of the students were complaining of upset stomachs but had no other signs of impairment,” a police report states.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
After the boy was told to go to bed, his mother allegedly put the gummies on a table and told him not to touch them. But another child urged the boy to follow his mother into the kitchen and say he loved her, so the second child could take them, according to the report.
The children carried the gummies in their book bags to school on Monday. A school staff member cleaning up a room later found a zip-lock bag printed with wording that indicated the contents contained drugs. An EMS worker reported recovering the bag still containing three gummy bears and a plastic bottle containing several gummy worms and gummy bears.
Staff members at the school reviewed video footage to identify kids who were present when the gummies allegedly were handed out.
Only one child, the 9-year-old boy who allegedly brought the gummies to school, initially tested positive at the hospital for the presence of THC, the chemical compound associated with a marijuana high.
Toxicology screening on other students is pending as the investigation continues, Cleveland police spokesman Jennifer Ciaccia tells PEOPLE.
Police questioned but did not arrest the aunt, according to the police report.
“Although most of our students were not involved in this incident … I am taking time to remind ALL parents and caregivers of the importance of keeping medicines and other items that may be harmful to children locked up,” the principal said in her statement. “Thank you for the opportunity to use the incident today as a teachable moment for our school community of our shared responsibility to keep our students safe.”
source: people.com
