Tainted Halloween candy report faked, juveniles charged, cops say

Another area report of tainted Halloween candy has turned out to be a hoax, police say.

Juveniles in Kennett Square, Pa. will be charged by Chester County authorities with filing false reports to police, according to a Facebook post by the Philadelphia suburb's police department. The juveniles admitted lying when they reported finding needles in candy bars from trick-or-treating, police said.

Police had earlier said they received five reports of children receiving tainted candy.

Earlier this week, a Blackwood man was charged in connection with allegedly faking a report about finding four pieces of candy with sewing needles inside as well.

But there are reported cases in New Jersey where police haven't yet said what their findings are.

A Three Musketeers bar with a paperclip inside was turned into West Deptford Police, according to a post on the department's Facebook page. A West Depftord lieutenant reached Friday said he didn't have any new information on that case beyond what had already been released.

The person making the report told police he or she had been trick-or-treating in the Colonial Manor section of the township, according to police. They warned parents to thoroughly check their kids' candy and to notify police should they find something.

Woodbury Heights police warned about a pin reportedly found inside an Almond Snickers Bar on Sunday, although at that point police had not yet met with the mother who reported the incident.

Woodbury Heights Chief George Lindsay told New Jersey 101.5 Friday authorities are still investigaitng that matter, trying to get witness statements from multiple families involved.

But he said in his 31 years with the department, it had never before had a similar allegation of candy tampering.

While substantiated tampering cases are extremely rare, there have been at at least a few. In 2000, the Associated Press reported James Joseph Smith of Minneapolis was charged with one count of adulterating a substance with intent to cause death, harm or illness after he'd allegedly put needles in candy bars, then gave them to trick-or-treaters.

In that case, a 14-year-old boy was reportedly pricked by a needle, but no one was seriously hurt.

Smith was later found incompetent to stand trial.