robin brown

The News Journal

A woman was arrested after her 4-year-old took 249 bags of heroin to a day care center west of Selbyville and started handing it out, thinking it was candy, state police said.

"None of the packets were opened by any of the kids," Master Cpl. Gary E. Fournier told The News Journal on Monday night. Several children were checked out at area hospitals as a precaution, but all were released, he said.

While police say a total of 3.735 grams of heroin were found, enough for a felony possession charge, the mother was not charged for its possession or as a suspected dealer.

Ashley R. Tull, 30, of Selbyville, was charged Monday with maintaining a drug property and three counts of child endangering, then freed on $6,000 secured bail.

Fournier declined to say whose heroin it was, saying all he could say is that "the investigation is continuing and more charges are forthcoming."

Police and medical personnel were called at 11:45 a.m. Monday to the Beginner's Choice Daycare in the first block of Hickory Tree Lane, in the Hickory Tree housing complex, after staff noticed children with small bags of white powder, Fournier said.

The teachers immediately took the bags from the children, Fournier said.

The packets then were taken to the Selbyville Police Department where the powder tested positive as heroin, he said.

Investigation showed the girl took the heroin to school "unknowingly" when her mother gave her a different backpack after the family dog ruined hers overnight, Fournier said.

When the girl found the heroin, Fournier said, "thinking the packets were candy, she began passing them out to her classmates."

State police contacted her mother, who went to the day care center and was taken into custody shortly after being interviewed, Fournier said.

The three endangerment charges were for the 4-year-old and two other children – a 9-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl – who live in the home, he said.

All three children were placed with a relative and Tull was ordered to have no contact with them, Fournier said.

Owners of the day care center could not be reached Monday night for comment.

Fournier said he can't imagine the center being in any trouble for the incident.

"I think they handled it appropriately and reported the situation immediately to police," he said.

State police had initially identified Beginner's Choice Daycare by a different name.

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.