Man charged after fentanyl incident at Amherst County elementary school, accepts plea deal

AMHERST COUNTY, Virginia. – A man charged after several elementary school students in Amherst County ate fentanyl-positive gummy bears in December has accepted a plea deal.

In December, Clifford Dugan Jr. was charged with:

• Inducing minors to commit crimes

• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

On Monday, he pleaded guilty in court to the weapons offense, and the charge of incitement to commit a minor crime was dropped as part of the agreement.

The prosecutor said those charges stem from a search warrant for the residence, but not directly from the incident at the school.

The incident at the school is still under investigation.

Sentencing for Dugan Jr. is scheduled for August 12 at 9 a.m.

Nicole Sanders, 26, who was also charged in connection with the incident, is due in court next week.