Two Arrested After Elementary School Students Ate Fentanyl-Laced Candies

Two adults have been arrested after students at Central Elementary School in Amherst, Virginia, were exposed to fentanyl and had to be hospitalized.

Clifford Dugan and Nicole Sanders were charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Dugan was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, while Sanders was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Officials said the pair could face additional charges.

Officials said that a fourth-grade student brought a bag of gummy bears to school and shared them with friends at lunch, causing seven children to fall sick. Five students had to be hospitalized with symptoms that included nausea, vomiting, headache, and muscle spasms.

They have since been released and are recovering.

A field test on the gummy came back positive for fentanyl. Investigators determined that the gummies themselves were not laced with the illegal narcotic. Instead, the bag used to pack the gummies had fentanyl residue on it, which contaminated the candy.

"At this point, we believe the bag containing the fentanyl got contaminated either at home or on route to school as the student was being transported by their caregiver to school," Amherst County Public Schools Superintendent William Wells said.