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Day Care Worker Charged with Drugging Children

A central Ohio day care worker is denying accusations that she sprinkled drugs on snacks to get children in her day care to sleep during the day.

Tammy Eppley was charged Monday in Franklin County Municipal Court with six counts of child endangering after police in Westerville say they obtained text messages in which she admits giving children the drugs Benadryl and Melatonin. Police say Eppley jokes in one text that a child almost discovered her action after saying sprinkles on some cupcakes tasted funny. The 37-year-old Eppley said in an interview Monday that the text messages were tongue-in-cheek jokes that she regrets but don't refer to anything that really happened. A county children's services agency investigation couldn't substantiate allegations of physical abuse against Eppley.