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Day Care Workers Pamela Hartley and Donna Scott Drugged Kids to Sleep, Officials Say

Covenant Apostolic Church Day Care
Covenant Apostolic Church Day Care Covenant Apostolic Church Day Care

CINCINNATI (CBS/AP) Parents who were concerned their children often seemed groggy after leaving day care were shocked to find their children were allegedly being drugged by workers.

Two day care workers of the Covenant Apostolic Church Day Care in the Cincinnati, Pamela Hartley, 56 and Donna Scott, 41 are accused of slipping an over-the-counter dietary supplement into candy the children were given. They have been charged with three counts each of child endangering and three counts each of misrepresentation by a childcare provider.

A co-worker notified police in December that Hartley and Scott gave the children melatonin in candy.

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps control sleeping and waking cycles. Possible side effects of the supplement form include dizziness, abdominal discomfort, headaches, confusion, sleepwalking and nightmares, according to a Mayo Clinic web site.

The day care center is still operating at this time. If Hartley and Scott are convicted they could face as much as 18 months in jail.

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