‘Is this candy?’ Texas family finds something illegal in a Sonic hamburger, police say

A family in Taylor, Texas, was horrified to find something they didn’t order in their child’s Sonic drive-in hamburger.

Police say the family’s 11-year-old daughter found an ecstasy pill in the burger’s wrapping when she helped her 4-year-old brother with his kid’s meal Thursday night, reported KXAN in Austin.

She asked her parents, “is this candy?” Taylor police chief Henry Fluck said.

It wasn’t, as the family discovered after they took the burger and the pill to the police station.

“Of course when they came to the police department they were very upset, and we understand why,” said Fluck, acording to KXAN.

A field test revealed that the pill was MDMA, or ecstasy, reported CBS Austin. Police went to the Sonic and arrested three employees - half the staff that was working at the time, according to the TV station.

Police arrested Jose Molina, 22; manager Tanisha Dancer, 30; and Jonathan Roberson, 35, according to KVUE in Austin.

Police said Molina had marijuana with him when he was arrested, and both Dancer and Roberson had outstanding warrants, KVUE reported. When she was searched at the Williamson County Jail, Dancer had three ecstasy pills, police told the TV station.

“She was found in possession of MDMA or ecstasy, three pills, the same type, the same size, the same markings that were found inside the hamburger wrapping,” said Fluck, according to CBS Austin.

Police said Dancer, who has been fired, faces felony charges of possessing a controlled substance, delivering a controlled substance and endangering a child.

“This is an unusual incident,” the police chief told KVUE. “It seems like they didn’t do a good job of vetting their employees very well.”

In a statement to CBS Austin, a Sonic corporate spokesperson confirmed that a “foreign substance was found in a hamburger” at a location “owned and operated by an independent franchisee. The substance was discovered and removed. No guests were injured.

“The franchisee takes guest safety and food safety very seriously. Local police are investigating this incident, and the franchisee is cooperating with police in their investigation.”

Fluck told the CBS affiliate that the family helped make sure that other children wouldn’t be harmed by contacting the police instead of posting the incident on social media.

This story was originally published December 10, 2018 at 9:00 AM.