A former flight attendant has been released on bail after he was accused of spiking a baby's drink with a drug during a flight.
According to a federal indictment, Daniel Cunningham, 39, (pictured, left) a Northwest flight attendant, gave an infant juice that contained the prescription drug Xanax.
A judge in Detroit released Cunningham on $10,000 bond Tuesday.
The FBI said the incident happened on Flight 47 from Amsterdam to Detroit, according to Detroit's WDIV-TV.
Cunningham was allegedly annoyed by a 19-month-old baby who was crying and told the West Bloomfield family, "This is starting to be a problem."
The attendant offered the family juice for the baby. The baby drank a few sips, and then the mother took a sip, according to WDIV. The indictment claims that the mother noticed the juice tasted bitter, was foaming and had blue and white specks in it.
According to court papers, the mother put the juice in a sippy cup. She called her doctor who told her to take it to a laboratory for testing. Tests confirmed a 99 percent match for Xanax. The drug is prescribed to stop anxiety and panic attacks. Its side effects are drowsiness, fatigue and lightheadedness.
Children's Hospital said the drug should not be given to any child under 18.
Federal agents said Cunningham's alleged actions were reckless and dangerous.
The FBI reportedly stopped Cunningham on his next flight. They checked his suitcase and found numerous pills including Xanax, Ambien and Valium, according to Local 4. When questioned, Cunningham said he got the pills from a doctor in India, but could not provide a prescription. He denied drugging the 19-month-old girl, according to the FBI.
The FBI served him with a criminal complaint and he turned himself in Tuesday. Cunningham's preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 12.
Northwest Airlines confirmed that Cunningham worked as a flight attendant from May 22, 1988 to Dec. 30, 2002.
"While we cannot comment on this particular case, our standard procedure for flight attendants at Northwest is that they do not include prescribing medication unless it's with the assistance of a physician with our flight emergency service."
The infant's family did not comment on the allegations.