Four packets of the prescription drug Suboxone, found in June in a Happy Meal from McDonald’s in Auburn, lie on the seat of an Auburn police cruiser. Shirlee Marchesseault of Oxford said she found the drugs in the bottom of the box of chicken nuggets and fries she purchased for her 11-year-old son. Shirlee Marchesseault photo

LEWISTON — Two McDonald’s employees charged in connection with four strips of the prescription drug Suboxone found in a Happy Meal box at a local McDonald’s restaurant in June appeared in court Wednesday on related charges.

Michael Sevey, 43, of Turner is charged with unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, and Mariah Grant, 29, of Auburn is charged with unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.

Both were arraigned in 8th District Court. Sevey pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor and Grant didn’t enter a plea because the charge is a felony.

In order for a felony charge to go to trial, a grand jury must hand up an indictment.

Both defendants were appointed lawyers by the judge and were allowed to remain free on their personal recognizance.

They must not have prescription drugs without a valid prescription and can be searched upon articulable suspicion, the judge said.

They are not allowed contact with each other pending trial.

Police said an Oxford mother found the drugs in the bottom of a Happy Meal box she bought for her 11-year-old son at the restaurant on June 30.

She returned to the restaurant to report the incident. The drugs were not ingested.

During an investigation, police determined, using video surveillance from the restaurant, that an employee had the Suboxone in a shirt pocket. When the employee bent over to retrieve something from behind the counter, drugs and a pen fell from the pocket into a Happy Meal box, police said.

The employee didn’t realize the drugs were missing until later in the shift when the incident was brought to the store’s attention, police said.

The employee who dropped the drugs into the Happy Meal box had gotten them from another employee earlier in the shift, police said.

Both workers were fired, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant.

Suboxone is a prescription drug used to treat opioid dependence. It is used as a maintenance program mainly by people trying to quit heroin or other opiates.