(WWJ) – Last week there was a bit of a panic when a Genesee County school had to be evacuated after roughly 20 kindergarten students came down with what was first described as a “mysterious illness.”
Over the weekend, officials said they believed the students at Edgerton Elementary School in Clio had ingested some type of foreign substance. Then on Tuesday, officials revealed they had eaten THC-infused gummies that had been brought to school in a Lifesavers package by a student who shared them with friends.
In a new edition of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark takes a look at how this happened and what’s next for the child’s mother, who is now facing charges.
On Friday, kids at the school were having a typical Friday – learning, socializing and playing. That is, until around 1 p.m. when kids began experiencing nausea, vomiting, dizziness and shortness of breath.
Several students were rushed to Hurley Medical Center in Flint and the rest of the school was evacuated, as officials initially suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. Consumers Energy ruled out any sort of gas issue.
Tests soon confirmed the students had gotten THC poisoning. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says that’s just about the last thing officials expected to learn.
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Melinda Gatica, the mother of the student who brought the gummies to school, was found to have left a bag of gummies infused with THC within reach of her child.
In this case, they were in the fridge, disguised as any old candy.
Officials say Gatica had made her own THC-infused gummies and put them into the empty candy bag, which the young child eventually got ahold of and shared with classmates.
Swanson says some companies in the cannabis industry are doing something similar – disguising marijuana-infused treats under brands like “Double Stuffed Stone-os” and “Trips Ahoy.”
He calls that tactic “a weapon.”
“What this woman did, she created what the law calls an attractive nuisance,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said. “A child’s gonna see Lifesaver gummies and say ‘hey, I want some of those for myself.’”
Gatica, who has other children in the house, appeared in court on Wednesday and was released on $25,000 bond on the stipulation that she cannot keep pot or alcohol in her home and must undergo random drug testing.
She’s due back in court next week.
