Kindergartner finds bag of cocaine in classmate's backpack, puts in mouth, police say

PHILADELPHIA -- Police said a six-year-old girl found a bag of cocaine in another student's backpack inside a kindergarten class in Philadelphia and started chewing it.

Officials said the little girl thought it was sugar.

"She put the actual bag in her mouth and was chewing it," said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker. "Fortunately, she didn't break the actual seal."

The incident occurred at Mastery Charter's Hardy Williams Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia. A teacher saw the child with the bag and, suspecting it was drugs, took it from the student; the teacher called police and Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement, the school said both children were taken to the nurse's office "where it was determined there was no evidence either of the students had ingested the substance."

Police said the nurse cleared the children and a school resource officer sent them home.

But on Wednesday afternoon, when investigators with Southwest Detectives got the case, their concern grew, knowing how street drugs are packaged.

"They are packaged to be individual like that, but usually they are in a larger grouping, so we don't know, if in fact, there were other glassine bags out there in the school at this time," Walker said.

The school said backpacks of all students were checked and parents were notified.

Police do not believe the drugs came from the home of the six-year-old student.

A grandparent picking up his kindergarten student at dismissal had questions.

"How does that even get in her bookbag?" Anthony Richardson said. "Police will have a thorough investigation, hopefully everything is good."

There are approximately 25 children in the kindergarten class. Police said if anyone experiences symptoms, they need to go to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.