Children find box full of drugs and candy on school playground, Ohio cops say

Police in Ohio are investigating after children unknowingly discovered an apparent drug stash on a school playground.

Students at South Side Academy found the tackle box filled with drugs and candy on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 4, according to an incident report from the Youngstown Police Department.

The school’s principal told police a child came up to her and “told her that there was some candy … in a box on the playground,” the report said. She went to investigate the strange box and saw that it was packed not only with “bags of assorted candy,” but also many pills and capsules.

According to police, there were 90 red capsules in the box, about 30 white pills, some circular and some ovular, all bearing letters and numbers.

The box had been hidden under a T-shirt that read “senior thug” on the back, police said. A crack pipe made from a pen was also found nearby.

An investigation is underway.

Youngstown is a roughly 75-mile drive southeast from Cleveland.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Children find box full of drugs and candy on school playground, Ohio cops say."