FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -An 18-year old man from Madison is in the Fond du Lac County Jail, waiting to be charged, following a traffic stop in Fond du Lac on Monday.
During the stop, authorities discovered a box of drug-laced snacks inside the car — all items that are illegal in Wisconsin.
The stop took place in the area of Military Road and Rolling Meadows Drive. According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy pulled over the vehicle, which had been traveling on I-41, for an equipment violation.
The deputy then called for a K9 backup after the people in the car were, according to the deputy, acting suspiciously.
“The K9 conducted an open air sniff around the car and indicated, or alerted — and apparently, it was like a quick snap alert — meaning the dog is walking around the car and all of sudden, snapped its neck. Smelled and indicated and alerted right away,” explained Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a box, shipped to Wisconsin from Oregon, of pre-packaged snacks. All were in colorful packages that look similar to harmless snacks families might have in their pantries at home, but they included THC vapes and edibles, as well as psychedelic mushrooms.
According to Sheriff Waldschmidt, “I know that there’s an underlying push to legalize in some form or format, some of these plant-based drugs, but the reality is they remain illegal in Wisconsin.”
With families getting ready to send their kids back to school,Waldschmidt took to social media to post about the traffic stop and what was found in the vehicle.
While the Sheriff says marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms aren’t something his deputies target — as they’re more interested in getting things like fentanyl, cocaine and LSD off the streets — these products are still harmful.
“Just a good opportunity to kind of educate and remind parents that these items are out here and educating your kids about the dangers of consuming these products, whether it be THC or mushroom, plant-based drugs. Children and development are particularly vulnerable to negative effects from these,” said Waldschmidt.
And families are paying attention.
“Why? I guess my question is why? Why are we packaging it like that? Why does it look that? Why does it seem like it’s marketed to children?” said Brooke Cryderman of Jackson, Wisconsin.
This find by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office is leading to concern among families who also worry about drug-laced snacks and candies like these making their way into children’s Halloween bags.
“My oldest is 12 and I do mention it to him, like we’ve got to search your candy before we even dig into it. They always want to dig into it before, like when we’re still on the road yet, and I do talk to them about it,” added Katie Niemuth of Ripon.
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