PLOVER, Wis. (WSAW) – One of the joys as a kid is opening up a new toy. However, when that toy is littered with trash and drugs, it’s a major cause for concern, especially for one Plover family.
The Plover Police Department is investigating an incident where a mom found unmarked pills and other trash in a LEGO® box from Walmart just after 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Police Captain Brent Thauer says they’ve had one similar incident at the Plover Walmart before.
Although he wouldn’t comment much further on it, he says the community should not have to worry about where they shop.
“We’re in the very preliminary stages of that investigation,” he explained. “So, there’s not a whole lot of details to share.”
It was a terrifying moment for Whitney Marie of Plover. She shared photos on Facebook of pills, trash and other debris found inside a LEGO® box she bought for her children.
Her post has been shared over 600 times and many parents couldn’t believe what they saw in the photos.
Captain Thauer says the incident is exclusive to the Plover Walmart location.
“The items that were located did not come from the manufacturer,” he said. “So, it’s a very small incident related to the Plover Walmart. It’s not something that’s going out through the LEGO® brand.”
Marie is urging other parents not to have their children open any toys without an adult present. Police also encourage parents to be diligent.
“Any parent has the obligation, or the responsibility, to take a look at the packages prior to their kids opening,” Capt. Thauer said. “No different than you know, we will put out those public safety alerts for Halloween, trick-or-treating.”
Capt. Thauer says neither police nor staff at the Plover Walmart know how this happened, but he’s confident they’ll get to the bottom of it.
“There’s a lot of social media buzz on this, and understandably. That’s why we take this very seriously. I think we’re going to have good results on figuring out where this came from,” he said.
Thauer says this is a rare incident, and the Plover Walmart is cooperating with the investigation. He adds this incident should not discourage people from going to the Plover location.
NewsChannel 7 also reached out to the Plover Walmart. They couldn’t comment, saying it’s an issue for the corporate level.
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