Police in the Grey County town of Hanover are reminding parents to thoroughly check their children’s Halloween candy after receiving a report of a sewing needle found embedded in a chocolate bar.
Police are investigating after receiving a report at about 6 p.m. on Monday that a child had attempted to consume a KitKat chocolate bar that evening when the sewing needle was found in it. The child didn’t swallow the needle and wasn’t hurt, police said in a statement.
The candy bar was received on Halloween night while trick or treating, with the exact location not immediately known, police said, adding that initial information suggested it came from a south-end subdivision in the Town of Hanover, a community of roughly 8,000 located near Walkerton.
“Police investigators are aware that other police services have received similar reports in communities across Ontario,” the police statement said. “The Hanover Police Service wants to remind parents and guardians to thoroughly check their children’s candy before allowing them to consume any it.”
Long the subject of caution and parent anxiety, skeptics have questioned whether cases of tampered Halloween candy are indeed real. But such reports are fairly common – just three days ago, CP24 reported Ontario Provincial Police were investigating after a thumb tack was found in a mini chocolate bar.
Said OPP officials: “Any candy that appears to have been tampered with should be immediately thrown out. All candy should be in the original wrapper for the safety of your children.”
Anyone with information about the incident in Hanover is asked to contact police investigators at 519-364-2411 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).