Police in a community east of Calgary are looking into an incident after a parent discovered a needle inside one of their child’s Halloween treats.
After returning home from trick or treating on October 31, a young girl in Strathmore opened a Rice Krispie treat she had received and found a needle inside the candy.
The girl told her mother who further inspected the treat, finding a one-inch-long pin that had been pushed through the square. It also appeared that the wrapper had been opened and then re-sealed with glue.
Police spoke with the residents at a number of homes that the girl visited but discovered that none of them had been giving out Rice Krispie treats, so it’s unknown where the candy came from.
“We did canvass two neighbourhoods where it was believed the candy was received, but they have been ruled out,” said Staff Sergeant John Spaans with the RCMP. “On Halloween, it’s difficult to tell where kids pick up candy.”
Spaans says it’s a concerning situation for them and parents as well.
“Young ones don’t know what to look for. [They] may be a little over excited and get at the candy before their parents can take a look at it.”
There have been no reports of any injuries, but with the size of the pins involved, the danger is very real.
“The kids have been noticing them before eating them and parents are exercising their due diligence.”
Spaans says that the RCMP doesn’t believe that the tampering incident, although similar in nature, is in any way connected to the reports in Devon and Thorsby. He does say that police still want to know about all incidents where Halloween candy is being tampered with.
“We do encourage parents to contact police, if they notice something to report it to RCMP. There have been three incidents so far, but we need to find out if there are more.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Strathmore RCMP at 403-934-3535. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available though the Apple App or Google Play store.
