East Haven Police have made an arrest in a 2017 risk of injury case where a 7 year-old child found a sandwich bag containing cocaine and fentanyl in the potato chip display of a Subway sandwich shop.

On Nov. 22, 2017, police were dispatched to Subway, 521 Main Street, East Haven, after a manager called to report that a customer turned in a bag of suspected narcotics. Upon arrival, officers seized a large sandwich bag containing seven smaller baggies filled with a white powder substance. After speaking with the original complainant, it was determined that she entered subway with her two children to order food. While ordering, her 7 year-old son discovered the bag in the chip display, seemingly dropped by a previous customer. The child did not was not directly exposed to the substances at any time and did not require medical attention.

Video surveillance showed a male and female enter the store approximately 30 minutes earlier. The male, later identified as Henry Marrero-Rodriguez, 47, of New Haven, is seen on video going into his coat pocket to retrieve his cell phone. As he brings his phone from his pocket, a clear sandwich bag is seen falling from his pocket onto the display. Marrero-Rodriguez and his female companion are then seen leaving the store without noticing the misplaced narcotics.

The seized narcotics were later tested and positively identified as cocaine and fentanyl.

Marrero-Rodriguez was positively identified with the help of outside agencies and by the video surveillance footage.  He was arrested on March 7 and charged with risk of injury to a minor and possession of narcotics/controlled substance. He was held on a $50,000 bond and faced a judge on March 8 in New Haven.