Woman Returns Baby Formula To Stores After Refilling With “Other Substances”

(WCMH) — An Arizona woman accused of tampering with baby formula was in court Friday morning, facing charges of fraud and child endangerment.

According to Tucson Police Department detectives, 30-year-old Jennifer La Plante purchased and stole containers of baby formula from various Tucson stores. La Plante then emptied the formula out and refilled the containers with other substances, sealed the containers and returned them to the stores for refunds.

KVOA reports that at least one child has become ill after ingesting the tainted formula. The child has been treated and released from the hospital.

Fry’s, one of the stores La Plante frequented, said the chain is participating with the investigation.

“Once we were notified, we removed all of those items from all stores on Tucson,” said Fry’s spokesperson Pam Giannonatti. “All formula that is returned to our stores is immediately stickered with a ‘no return’ sticker so it is not re-sold.”

La Plante is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Officials have advised parents in the area to be mindful and report any signs of tampering. Suspicious products can be given to the Tucson Police Department Evidence Facility.