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Amherst County Sheriff’s Office
Clifford Dugan, left, and Nicole Sanders were charged in an incident involving students who ate candy from a bag with fentanyl residue on it, authorities said.
CNN
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Two people have been arrested and charged after seven Virginia middle school students ate teddy bears from a plastic bag that later tested positive for the dangerous synthetic opioid. fentanylthe Amherst County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
At first, it appears students may have contracted an infection from something they ate Tuesday, Amherst County Public Schools said. The sheriff’s office did a test on the outside of the bag, which had “a positive reaction for fentanyl,” said the school district.
“Preliminary research indicates that the students ate bears from a plastic bag. In that bag was a residue, and the residue tested positive for fentanyl,” said sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Dallas Hill on CNN.
Five students were taken to the hospital, including two by ambulance, Hill said. The students — all fourth-graders — experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting, headaches and muscle cramps, he said. The students have since been released from the hospital.
As part of its investigation, the sheriff’s office executed a search warrant at a home in Amherst on Tuesday, the spokesman said.
Clifford Dugan was arrested and detained without security to prosecute on two counts: one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of contributing to the “abuse, abuse of a child,” jail records show.
So did Nicole Sanders arrested and detained on the chargecontributing to the “delinquency of a child,” and possession of Schedule I or Schedule II narcotics, jail records show. He is being held on $1,000 and $1,500 bond.
Dugan and Sanders appeared via video conference Wednesday in Amherst County juvenile and domestic relations court, where they were advised of their right to counsel. Dugan’s appointed attorney did not immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment, and Sanders’ appointed attorney said he did not know he had been assigned to the case.
“This is an ongoing investigation and more charges are possible,” a police spokesperson told CNN.
“It is believed that at some point the bag came into contact with fentanyl and the amount remains on/in the bag,” said Amherst County Superintendent of Public Schools Dr. William Wells told CNN in an email Wednesday.
The remains are being sent to the laboratory for further testing, and the results may take two or three months, Hill said.
Following the incident, the school district will “make a point of emphasizing reminding our students not to share food. Drug awareness will continue as part of this.” to emphasize the group in all schools,” said the superintendent.
Synthetic opioids – including the powerful fentanyl – are the leading driver of US deaths, with nearly 7.5-fold increase overall from 2015 to 2021, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Excessive drinking and poisoning of the third leading cause of death to children and young people 19 years and younger.
In September, a 1-year-old boy died when he and three other children appeared exposed to fentanyl at a Bronx day care center, authorities said. The day care worker, his wife and his cousin were there charged with murder and other charges.
This article has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Katia Hetter contributed to this report.