Ice cream truck driver arrested on suspicion of selling pot to kids

MISSION — For some elementary school students, the familiar ice cream truck jingle apparently meant an easy way to buy drugs.

Police are stunned that children in the third grade were buying pot from an ice cream truck driver, whom they arrested Thursday afternoon.

The driver, police said, was selling $5 and $10 bags of marijuana to students coming out of O’Grady Elementary School at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 495 and Holland Avenue.

Customers included third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.

“I can’t visualize any of these kids that age smoking marijuana,” Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said. “It’s a scary thought, but that’s the info we received.”

The driver, a Mexican national, was arrested after police received tips from children about the drug sales.

“What an idiot,” Longoria said of the driver. “But the important thing about this is kids reported it.”

The driver is expected to be arraigned today on drug possession charges. Police are still weighing the possibility of bringing drug distribution charges against the man because they did not catch him selling to anyone.

Police arrested the driver about 4:15 p.m. Thursday several blocks away from the elementary school.

They seized the truck, several bags of marijuana and, presumably, a whole lot of ice cream.

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Michael Barnett covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4447.