Trick-or-treater reports suspicious candy during Beggar’s Night

A child reportedly bit into a piece of candy and was poked by a sharp object during Beggar’s Night in Newton, police said in a press release Friday.

According to the press release, at 8:45 p.m. Oct. 31 the Newton officers were dispatched to Mercy One Newton in reference to an 11-year-old child who reported they had been poked in the mouth by a sharp object in a candy bar.

The child said they were in the downtown Newton area between 6 and 7 p.m. when they bit the candy bar and felt the poke. The child spit out the candy bar and saw what they believed to be a needle in the candy.

The child then threw the candy bar into an unknown trash receptacle in the downtown area. The child indicated the poke was not painful and they continued trick-or-treating with friends after the incident. The child was later taken to the hospital after they told their parents.

The Newton Police Department did not receive any other reports of similar incidents and at this time has not been able to conclusively verify the type or presence of the sharp object. Parents are encouraged to inspect candy and report any suspicious items immediately.

Contact Dustin Teays at
641-792-3121 ext. 6533
or dteays@newtondailynews.com