Holyoke father arrested after 5-year-old shows up at school with Spider-Man-stamped baggie of cocaine
“He told the teacher that when he puts it in his mouth he turns into Spider-Man."
A Holyoke father was arrested and his kids were taken away by child services after one boy showed up to school with a baggie of what police believe was cocaine.
Benny Garcia.
Holyoke Police Department Lt. Jim Albert said the 5-year-old boy’s teacher noticed him showing another boy something Thursday morning and asked what it was. The baggie the child was holding was full of white powder and had three little Spider-Man stamps on it.
“He told the teacher that when he puts it in his mouth he turns into Spider-Man,” Albert said.
The child was taken to the hospital immediately and is expected to be fine, Albert said. It isn’t clear whether he ingested any of the drugs, though it was “certainly possible that he did,” Albert said.
The boy told police he found the baggie at home and had more under his bed.
“A little kid would think it was fun, and he did,” Albert said.
Police went to the boy’s home, which Albert said is on a block known for drug and gang issues, and found the child’s father lying in bed.
Benny Garcia, 29, was reportedly nearly unconscious when officers arrived at his apartment. Albert said when police lifted Garcia up to handcuff him, the Spider-Man baggies started falling out of his hoodie’s pocket. There were also multiple packets on the bed.
Officers found 175 bags or heroin and more than 40 bags of the Spider-Man-stamped cocaine, according to Albert.
Child services took custody of the boy and an infant who was not in the home at the time of the arrest. Their mother is not facing any charges, though Albert said the case is still being investigated.
Garcia was arrested on an outstanding warrant for heroin possession and then charged with possession of cocaine and heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, and reckless endangerment of a child.
His bail was initially set at $5,000 but was revoked at his arraignment Friday pending a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday.
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