Kindergartener Brings Mother's Crack Pipe & $3,700 in Drugs to Show-and-Tell

For most children, show-and-tell is a time when fun or intriguing personal items can be shared with peers. But when a kindergarten student brought his mom's crack pipe and some drugs to his Sweet Springs, Missouri, elementary school, officials' mouths dropped.

KCTV5 reports that the boy shocked his classroom audience when he showed the items on Sept. 6 at Sweet Springs Elementary School. Following the incident, school officials called police. Court records indicate that the teacher told police that the boy had the pipe and "several baggies of crack rocks." Officials say the drugs, later identified as methamphetamine, were worth about $3,700.

As a result, the child's mother, 32-year-old Michelle Marie Cheatham, was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Additionally, she was charged with one count of first-degree child endangerment.

Police Chief Richard Downing told KCTV5 that this was the first time in his career that a child has brought drugs in for show and tell. He explained:

"When I called the prosecutor about it, they said, 'You're kidding me, aren't you?'"

A family friend told KCTV5 that the boy is being cared for by relatives. At least one person who knows the investigation well has said that Cheatham's life began unraveling after her husband died earlier this year in a car crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.