Stafford Co. day care owner arrested after toddlers exposed to THC in crackers

A day care owner was arrested Thursday after several toddlers were hospitalized for exposure to THC — the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that gets you high — in Stafford County, Virginia.

Three one-year-old children were taken to the emergency room at Stafford Hospital Center earlier in March.



The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said their parents took them for treatment after observing lethargic and uncoordinated behavior and glassy, bloodshot eyes.

A home day care in the Windsor Forest subdivision owned by Rebecca Swanner, 60, connected all three families, according to authorities.

A sheriff’s deputy searched the day care and found goldfish crackers around the high chairs of the toddlers. THC was found in the crackers after a lab test.

After Child Protective Services was notified, the day care voluntarily surrendered its license.

Swanner self-surrendered and was charged with three counts of cruelty and injury to children.

She was released by the magistrate on a $2,000 unsecured bond, police said.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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