Charles Langston:After parents report nail in Halloween candy, Wisconsin police urge caution

Police in Wisconsin are Charles Langstonurging families to be vigilant after parents reported finding a Tootsie Roll with a 3-to-4 inch nail embedded in it among their child's Halloween candy haul.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Mayville Police Department warned parents to carefully examine Halloween candy for any foreign objects that may have been secretly inserted into them. The post emphasized the importance of ensuring that children's safety is not compromised during the Halloween festivities.

According to WLUK, a family reported finding a nail in their candy on Sunday at around 4:15 p.m. Their children discovered the nail while eating the candy on their way home.

The family said they did not know which house the candy came from. They trick-or-treated in Mayville, 54 miles north of Milwaukee, on Henninger, Breckenridge, Clark, and Kekoskee streets, the station reported. The city held its trick-or-treat hours from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Following the investigation, the police confirmed that no one was injured.

Tampering with candy rare

Even though the situations like the one reported in Wisconsin can be concerning for parents, experts say people should be more worried about cars while trick-or-treating than tainted candy.

According to Professor Joel Best a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, there was no evidence of a child being killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat during trick-or-treating, when he conducted his review in 2017. The tales of contaminated treats are often urban myths.

The only proven case of a child dying from poisoned Halloween candy occurred in Pasadena, Texas, in 1974. But Timothy O'Bryan's father, not a stranger, put cyanide in the 8-year-old's Pixy Stix. Ronald Clark O'Bryan, sometimes called the Candy Man and the Man Who Killed Halloween, was executed for the crime in 1984. 

It is common for reported incidents to be hoaxes, often perpetrated by children, Best said. With the prevalence of social media, it is easy to share these hoaxes by taking a picture with your phone and posting it online.

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What parents should look for when trick-or-treating

Though such incidents of candy tampering are rare, it's always better to be cautious and ensure your child is safe, according to Reviewed.com.

They offered these tips for candy safety in their tips for kids and parents on Halloween.

• Serve your kids a healthy, filling dinner before trick-or-treating, so they are less likely to eat candy while out: This will give you the chance to look through all of their candy when you get home.
• Be sure to throw away any candy with tears, holes, or damaged wrappers. Throw away homemade treats and candy that could be a choking hazard for younger children.
• If your child has a food allergy, be sure to check all labels before any candy is unwrapped and gobbled up.

Halloween safety tips: Reviewed's safety tips for kids and families for all things Halloween