The ensuing investigation cost Carter, 36, her job as a second-grade teacher at Spotswood Elementary School, and she now faces more than 20 felony charges.

Two of those crimes, child endangerment and child neglect, were confirmed to a county grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Spotsylvania Juvenile and Family Court. Most of her other charges are already awaiting trial in district court.

The charges confirmed Thursday involved Carter’s 2-year-old son, who was in the SUV when his parents were arrested that day.

Deputy Ryan Gaddis, the liaison officer, said the situation involving Carter began around 11:30 a.m. when he was notified that her husband, Kristopher Carter, was on campus without registering for the second time that day. Security cameras later showed Kristopher Carter, who is also charged, handing something to his wife early that morning.

Gaddis said he and the school’s principal went to Candyce Carter’s classroom a short time later after she failed to pick up her students from lunch. They found the lights off and the classroom locked.

He said after opening the door, the two went into the room and found Carter lying on the floor. Gaddis said she appeared to be under the influence of something, and Gaddis said he told her, “I know you’re under the influence of something. Just tell me.”

However, he said Carter insisted she was simply tired because she hadn’t slept the previous night and the principal ordered her to go home.

Gaddis said he accompanied her to her husband’s SUV, which was still parked at the school. He said he had already searched Carter’s bag with her permission and found only two e-cigarettes.

But while he was outside with Carter, according to Gaddis, the principal told him to return to the classroom after finding suspicious substances while cleaning up a mess Carter had left behind. Police later determined the substances were powder cocaine and suspected fentanyl. Authorities are still waiting for results from the state lab to confirm their suspicions.

Other evidence presented by prosecutors Kelly Green and Crystal Montague-Holland included phone records that appeared to show Candyce Carter arranging the purchase of “Boy” and “Girl,” which Detective Jason Hager said are street names for heroin/fentanyl and cocaine.

Defense attorney Ghislaine Storr Burks did not present evidence, as is customary in preliminary hearings. But during her cross-examination, Storr Burks was able to point out that none of Carter’s students had come into contact with the drugs and said there was no direct evidence as to when or if she brought the drugs into the classroom.