Tammy Eppley Update: Ohio day care worker pleads not guilty to drugging kids
(CBS/AP) COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Ohio day care worker has pleaded not guilty to charges she sprinkled drugs on snacks to get children she was watching to sleep during the day.
Tammy Eppley of Westerville in suburban Columbus is charged with six counts of child endangering.
According to CBS affiliate WBNS, Eppley allegedly fed children pancake batter laced with medication to make them sleepy.
Eppley was charged last month after police say they obtained text messages in which she acknowledged giving children the allergy drug Benadryl and Melatonin, a hormone and sleep aid.
An attorney for Eppley filed the plea in Franklin County Municipal Court Thursday, a day before Eppley had been scheduled for her first court appearance.
The 37-year-old Eppley has denied the allegations, saying she made "tongue-in-cheek" jokes about giving the drugs in text messages to a friend.
According to the station, the children's age ranged from 2 to 5 years old.