Lincoln dad warning others after two-year-old finds drug paraphernalia at local park

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — For one dad, it was supposed to be a normal day at the playground at Neighbors Park with his two-year-old son.

But in an instant, everything changed.

“It was super surprising,” said Jeremy Williams. “The last thing you’d expect is for your 2-year-old to hand you drug paraphernalia.”

Williams was guiding his son up the steps before helping him onto the platform to ride the slide.

That’s when his son grabbed a pipe, allegedly full of drugs, and handed it to his father.

Photo courtesy: Jeremy Williams

Photo courtesy: Jeremy Williams

“I was shocked, to say the least,” Williams said. “I looked down at my wife and said, ‘Babe, look what he just handed to me.’ And she was shocked. All she said was, ‘Are you serious? Was it just sitting up there?'”

The trash can at the park is only a couple of yards away, so Williams immediately took the pipe from his son and threw it away.

“He’s two years old, so usually everything goes in their mouth instantly,” he said. “It could have been a whole different situation if he stuck it in his mouth or something like that. It could’ve been an ER visit, figuring out what’s in it and thousands of dollars spent. It was a wild occurrence and very unexpected for sure.”

Williams said they are definitely going to be more cautious when it comes to taking a trip to the park.

And, they’re hoping other parents are more aware as well.

“I’m just happy it turned out the way it did,” he said. “We didn’t have to take him anywhere, no doctors, no nothing like this. I just threw it away and we continued playing at the park.”

We reached out to Lincoln Parks and Recreation to see how often the parks are maintained, and what they do when something like this happens:

“Lincoln Parks and Recreation park operations crews visit all parks on a regular schedule, some every day and others several times per week. We understand why a parent would be concerned by something like this. The best thing Parks and Recreation can do is respond quickly when we are made aware of an issue. Our crews take reports of hazardous or inappropriate items seriously and will investigate and address them as quickly as possible. We also encourage parents and other park users to report anything they see that could pose a safety concern. If someone finds a hazardous item at a playground that could endanger the public, including drug paraphernalia, please call the Lincoln Police non-emergency at 402-441-6000 rather than handling or throwing it away. For routine park maintenance issues, the easiest way to reach Parks and Recreation is through UPLNK, the City’s online service request system. People can also call (402-441-7847) or email (parks@lincoln.ne.gov) directly. If it is safe to do so, a photo and the specific location is helpful so our staff can respond quickly. We appreciate the parent who noticed this, kept it away from their child, and reported what happened. Our community is an important partner in keeping Lincoln’s parks safe and welcoming for everyone.”