Riverhead man charged after giving pot-laced candy to 14-year-old, cops say
A Riverhead man was arrested Monday after, police said, he gave a 14-year-old middle school student that he lives with marijuana-laced candy that the youth then shared with friends.
Marvin Dominguez Torres, 20, gave the unidentified student "Medical Nerds," a THC-infused candy, Riverhead police said.
The student shared the edibles with two friends before the candy was destroyed, police said.
None of the three students required medical attention. The incident was reported to police by middle school staff, said Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller.
Dominguez Torres was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and released on a desk appearance ticket Tuesday, authorities said. Efforts to reach him Tuesday were not successful.
Marijuana edibles can be mistaken for regular candy and can be harmful when taken in large doses, or small doses in a young child, police said.
"Commercially made THC candy is sometimes packaged similar to conventional candy products," Riverhead police said in a statement. "This is just another example on how important it is to keep prescription drugs, alcohol, nicotine and marijuana away from anyone under the age of 21."
The incident, police said, is not related to three other medical emergencies at Riverhead High School this month.
On Feb. 14, a high school student was hospitalized after ingesting "approximately half" of a THC chocolate given to him by an unidentified person.
Two previous incidents, Feb. 4 and Feb. 10, involved the administration of Narcan overdose kits to students who had lost consciousness. During the first incident, the student admitted using a vape pen, police said,
Riverhead police have subsequently said neither case involved a narcotics overdose or from alcohol.
Narcan, also known as naloxone, can block the effects of drugs such as fentanyl, opium and heroin by attaching to the same parts of the brain that receive opioids.
The statuses of the three students, who were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center, were not released.
The Riverhead School District declined to comment.
In an email to parents earlier this month, Riverhead High School Principal Sean O’Hara encouraged families to have "conversations with their children about being aware of their surroundings and understanding the consequences of their actions."
The district had an event about Narcan equipment and training for the community and school staff earlier this month, according to the school’s website.
"Parents are strongly urged to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of drug use, and the possibility of drugs packaged in a manner consistent with conventional candy products," police said in the statement Tuesday. "There are psychologists, social workers and school counselors available at the school to help parents and students."
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to call Riverhead Town Police at 631-727-4500 or 631-727-3333.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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