PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A 49-year-old Pinellas Park man is facing child neglect charges after authorities said a 9-year-old handed his teacher two bags of meth and said his dad put the items in his backpack.

Joseph Dombrowsky was arrested by Pinellas Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday.

The investigation began after school administrators called authorities, saying the child handed their teacher two clear plastic baggies with a crystal-like substance inside.

Deputies responded and tested the substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed approximately 9 grams.

The child told detectives he found the baggies in his backpack at school after he went to find a piece of candy.

Detectives interviewed Dombrowsky, who denied knowledge of how the two bags of meth got into the child's backpack.

Investigators later learned that Dombrowsky had used meth and ecstasy the prior weekend.

Dombrowsky has a prior arrest for drug trafficking.