TOPEKA, Kansas — A Kansas man pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges after leaving a bag containing fentanyl inside a Topeka childcare center, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Courtney McGee Cannon, 43, of Topeka pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Quick Facts:
- Defendant: Courtney McGee Cannon, 43, of Topeka
- Charges: Three counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
- Daycare incident: Feb. 5, 2026
- Location: Topeka, Kansas
- Evidence: Fentanyl and surveillance video
- Search warrant: Feb. 12, 2026
- Federal indictment: March 4, 2026
- Arrest: March 6, 2026
- Sentencing: Dec. 16, 2026
- Investigating agency: Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
According to court documents, Cannon entered a restroom at the childcare center on Feb. 5, 2026, and dropped a bag containing a distribution quantity of fentanyl on the floor. He left without realizing the bag was missing.
An employee later found the fentanyl and turned it over to security. Surveillance video showed that Cannon was the only person who entered the restroom between the time it was cleaned and the discovery of the bag, prosecutors said.
On Feb. 12, Shawnee County sheriff’s deputies found another distribution quantity of fentanyl on Cannon while executing a search warrant. Cannon admitted to investigators that he sold fentanyl, according to court documents.
A federal grand jury indicted Cannon on March 4, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. When authorities arrested him two days later, they again found distribution quantities of fentanyl on him.
“It’s shocking that someone could be so uncaring and negligent as to take a substance as toxic as fentanyl into a childcare center,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said. “Thank goodness an adult found the baggie instead of innocent children who might have mistaken it for candy, or this could have turned into a horrific tragedy.”
Cannon is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16, 2026. A federal district judge will determine his sentence.