4th Grade Students Hospitalized After Eating Gummy Bears From Fentanyl-Laced Bag

On Wednesday, Clifford Dugan, 50, and Nicole Sanders, 26, were arrested in Amherst, Virginia, in connection to the incident, according to a press release shared by the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office. Both were charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Per the press release, seven students at Central Elementary School "ingested gummy bears" at lunch on Tuesday. After authorities discovered "residue in the baggie that contained the gummies," and had the bag tested. The bag of candy tested positive for fentanyl.

According to local news outlet WDBJ, school officials said a student brought the gummy bears to school, and shared them with six other kids. The children began experiencing symptoms -- including nausea, vomiting, and muscle spasms -- and required medical addition, and five were transported to the hospital. The students were reportedly released the same day.

Per WDBJ7, Amherst County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. William Wells noted that it was the bag that tested positive for fentanyl and that the gummies themselves did not.

"Law enforcement tested the gummies and they tested negative for foreign substance," Wells said. "However, when they tested the residue in the bag, the field test indicated a positive response for fentanyl."

It's not yet confirmed how the bag of candy became contaminated, but authorities believe it was unintentional, per WDBJ7. However, school officials told WDBJ7 that a student's guardian packed the gummies in a Ziploc bag. The child shared the candy with others, and also ate some themselves.

According to authorities, the student's sibling also brought a bag of gummies, but it tested negative.

"The fentanyl was contained to the bag and we did not have any indication that fentanyl was on additional surfaces in the building," Wells told WDBJ7. "But we did go ahead and clean the building this morning just to make sure everything was clean."

According to the Amherst County Sheriff's Office, Dugan and Sanders are being held at the Amherst County Adult Detention Center.

In addition to being charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, both Dugan and Sanders were also booked on additional charges. Dugan was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is being held on no bond. Sanders, meanwhile, also faces a charge of possession of a controlled substance and is being held on a $2,500 bond.