When the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida received a call about an unresponsive student at LA Ainger Middle School on March 11, 2026, deputies rushed to the scene. When they arrived, officers found the school nurse performing CPR on the young student. After assessing the situation, deputies determined the girl was experiencing a drug overdose and successfully administered Narcan. Emergency Medical Services responded a short time later and took the girl to a hospital. Police needed to find out what drugs the girl took and how she got ahold of them.
The girl reportedly took fentanyl.
According to a news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, investigators determined the girl had ingested fentanyl.
“The investigation revealed that the child had found the container on the bathroom sink in the residence and placed it into her backpack before heading to school,” per the sheriff’s office’s release.
The girl ingested a very small amount of the drug.
The sheriff’s office reported the drugs belonged to her father, Joshua Sanders. She reportedly took the bottle into the bathroom with her at school. Police said the child put a bit on her finger and then onto her tongue.
“The effects were near-immediate, with the student barely returning to class before losing consciousness,” the news release read.
The girl’s mother had apparently fought with her father about the fentanyl.
Courtney Delaney, the girl’s mother, reportedly argued with Sanders about keeping the fentanyl in the house multiple times before the girl’s overdose. Police arrested the couple, who each face charges of child neglect, the news release shared. Sanders was being held on a $450,000 bond and Delaney on a $25,000 bond.
“First and most importantly, I am glad to hear that the student will make a full recovery. This could have ended very, very differently if not for the fast actions taken by the school nurse and other staff, as well as my deputies,” Sheriff Bill Prummell expressed via the news release. “It is inexcusable and unforgivable that this child was able to access this poison so easily, and that’s why these arrests were made. I thank God that we were able to intervene before something even worse happened.”
Many people defended Delaney online.
According to multiple social media posts, Delaney, a mom of three, coached gymnastics for her girls. Many people claim she’s sober and say Sanders needs to face the repercussions of his acts.
“I’m sitting here watching post after post of people judging on their high horse from their glass houses. Courtney Delaney has been clean. Her mistake was loving the wrong person and thinking she could help him,” a friend wrote. “She’s a fantastic mom who puts her kids before herself. She’s a new coach for gymnastics. Should she have made him leave when she found out, yes. Addicts can talk and make you believe. They tell you exactly what you want to hear. Quit speculating.”
Her social media prescence certainly doesn’t match up with the allegations against Delaney. Thankfully, it sounds like her daughter will be fine. The mom sure seemed to love her a lot. Hopefully, they can all move on and count their blessings.
