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Adults arrested after kindergartner brings cocaine to school

A man and woman in Louisiana were arrested after a kindergartner brought three bags of cocaine to a New Orleans-area school Tuesday, investigators said.

A teacher called a school resource officer after the 5-year-old student was seen holding a bag of white powder, later discovered to be cocaine. The officer found two additional bags of the drug, Slidell, La., police said in a Facebook post.

“Throughout the investigation, it was apparent the child had no knowledge about the drugs,” police said.

Detectives searched the child’s home and arrested Angelica Stanley, 23, and Ellis Cousin, 51, after more cocaine allegedly turned up inside.

“It’s a terrible thing but the silver lining in all this is that the teacher did a phenomenal job being alert, notifying the SRO [school resource officer], taking immediate action,” Slidell police Detective Daniel Seuzeneau told FOX 8 of New Orleans. “God only knows what would have happened if this child would have ingested the cocaine, if another student would have ingested the cocaine, I mean it would have been terrible.”

Investigators said Stanley and Cousin stored the drugs in the child’s clothing, but didn’t offer additional details.

Police did not disclose the name of the school or the relationship between the child and the suspects. They said “proper steps were taken to ensure the future well-being of the child,” but offered no specifics.

Stanley and Cousin were charged with possession of a schedule II narcotic with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and cruelty to a juvenile, according to St. Tammany Parish jail logs.