11-Year-Old Girl Finds Ecstasy in Sonic Drive-In Hamburger, 3 Employees Arrested
Three employees at a Sonic Drive-In in Texas were arrested after an 11-year-old girl found an ecstasy pill in her little brother’s kid’s meal on Thursday, PEOPLE confirms.
The girl made the shocking discovery while unwrapping her 4-year-old brother’s hamburger and found it inside the wrapper, Taylor Police Chief Henry Fluck said at a news conference on Friday, local TV station KTRK reports.
“Being an 11-year-old, she asked her parents if this was candy,” Fluck said, according to the outlet.
Immediately suspicious, the parents brought the meal and the pill straight to the local police station, Taylor police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Police conducted a field test on the substance, which turned out to be MDMA, also known as ecstasy, according to authorities.
Shortly after, officers headed to the restaurant and arrested manager Tanisha Dancer, 30, and two other employees, Jonathan Roberson, 35, and Jose Molina, 22, on a slew of charges. All are from Taylor.
Dancer was initially arrested on an outstanding felony larceny warrant from Guadalupe County, the police statement says. While being searched at the Williamson County Jail, she was allegedly found to be in possession of three ecstasy pills and was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
The pills police found during the search were similar to the one found in the boy’s hamburger wrapper, Fluck said, local station KXAN reports.
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Dancer has been fired from her job as manager, police say. Since her initial arrest, she has been charged with endangering a child and delivering a controlled substance.
Roberson was arrested on four outstanding warrants, including accusations of marijuana possession, theft and driving without a license, online jail records show.
Molina was arrested on an accusation of possession of marijuana, police say.
It is unclear whether any of the three have entered pleas or if they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
A spokesman for Sonic released a statement to PEOPLE about the incident, saying the store was owned and operated by an independent franchisee.
“The franchisee takes guest safety and food safety very seriously. Local police are investigating this incident, and the franchisee is cooperating with police in their investigation,” Sonic said. “Each franchise organization is an independent employer and thus responsible for its own employment-related policies, practices, and decisions. The franchisee has terminated three employees in connection with this incident.”
Dancer remains held at the Williamson County Jail in lieu of $37,500 bond and on an additional $2,500 bond for her outstanding larceny charge, online jail records show.
Roberson is being held in lieu of $29,000 bond. Molina was released on a $1,500 bond.
