Photo: wusa 9
A Virginia home daycare owner has been charged after three one-year-olds were exposed to THC through Goldfish crackers while in her care, according to police.
The toddlers' parents first noticed their “lethargic and uncoordinated behavior” and “glassy, bloodshot eyes” before taking the children to Stafford Hospital Center, per a news release from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office Friday.
Once at the hospital, the staff “quickly recognized” that the toddlers were suffering from THC exposure –– Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active hallucinogenic chemical in cannabis –– and later confirmed through tests, the release added, describing the drug as “the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the high sensation.”
Deputy A.J. Deasy responded to the incident at the hospital and officials determined the common link between the three children was Rebecca Swanner’s, 60, daycare center.
Hours later, Detective A. Sanchez searched the home and found the crackers near the toddlers' high chairs. Testing confirmed the snack was indeed laced with THC.
Swanner could not be reached at the time of publishing and it is not clear if she has engaged legal representation to comment on her behalf.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“I don’t know what to say,” a neighbor toldWUSA 9,adding, “It’s just unbelievable hearing that.”
Another said that Swanner has “had a daycare since we’ve known her - we moved in in 2000. Everything has always been above board so this is totally, totally shocking. The neighbor added that Swanner had an “outstanding reputation … as far as childcare goes in the neighborhood, she’s the go-to person.”
“We’ve seen an increase in children getting into cannabis or marijuana edibles,” The Public Health Educator for the States Poison Center Fiorella Carhuaz said, perNBC 12.
“You should call poison control if you start noticing that your child has trouble walking, they’re not making a lot of sense, sometimes have trouble breathing, they str at vomiting, even seizure,” Carhuaz added. “This is quite problematic because they can end up in the intensive care unit.”
This year, 18 cases have been reported so far of children five and younger eating edibles as of the end of March. Last year, the total number of reported cases was 52, and in 2020 it was 27.
Carhuaz said the rise in cases is connected to more edibles not being put away correctly.
“All the children are seeing is a person eating a brownie and they will get to them. They will climb if they have to so locking things up is very important,” Carhuaz said, adding that adults should avoid eating edibles while children are present.
“There’s a two to three-hour window before children start showing symptoms of exposure,” Carhuaz said.
source: people.com
