On Wednesday, October 31 between 7:00 PM and 8:15 PM while participating in Halloween activities, a 16 year old male visited approximately 25 homes in the Chesapeake Ranch Estates in Lusby, Calvert Co., MD. He was accompanied by at least three adults and three younger children. The 16 year old and his mother returned to their St. Leonard home at approximately 9:00 PM. The victim ate approximately 20 to 25 pieces of candy while watching television. He recalled that one piece (Dum-Dum flavored Cotton Candy lollipop) tasted unusual. Within an hour he was feeling ill and his mother drove him to Calvert Memorial Hospital. They arrived at approximately 11:00 PM. A preliminary urine drug screening test resulted in a positive reaction to two controlled dangerous substances frequently abused. The victim remained in the hospital Emergency Room for several hours and then was discharged. During her son’s care and immediately after he was released, the victim’s mother communicated, via Facebook, with her friends about her son’s illness and the positive drug test results. These Facebook postings were reposted ultimately generating fear within the Calvert County community and inquiries from the media.
None of the other adults or children who participated with the young victim’s trick-or-treating activities became ill. Most of their candy obtained during this event has either been seized by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office or isolated to protect possible consumers. The wrapper and paper stick from the one piece of suspect candy has been recovered by law enforcement. Observation revealed nothing unusual.
The victim is prescribed a number of medications. Poison Control personnel believe that none of his prescribed medications would have yielded the positive result obtained in the drug screening test. One of the physiological reactions the victim exhibited does not correlate to known reactions of the drugs detected in his urine via the screening test. Poison Control resources and administrators within Calvert Memorial Hospital confirmed that some drug testing procedures yield “false positives” if the parameters are too broad or non-specific. Calvert Memorial Hospital administrators have been very helpful. The urine sample collected from the 16 year old victim will be forwarded to a second laboratory for confirmatory testing.
As of 2:30 PM on November 1 no other medical calls for service have been recorded related to “tainted” Halloween candy and Calvert Memorial Hospital has recorded no additional cases of victims complaining about consuming tainted Halloween candy.
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police are recommending that if your family visited homes in the northern portion of the Chesapeake Ranch Estates that any candy received should be discarded immediately. The victim visited homes on Gun Smoke Trail, Hickok Trail/Court, Pioneer Trail, Alamo Court/Lane/Trail, and Commanche Road.
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