A Roxbury man late today took responsibility for drug possession and reckless endangerment of a child and was sentenced to serve jail time for his role in an incident where crack cocaine was found in a child’s shoe by the child’s teacher, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

DEMARE GRAY (D.O.B. 12/10/90) pleaded guilty in Roxbury District Court to possession of a Class B drug with intent to distribute, possession of a Class B drug with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school zone, and reckless endangerment of a child. Judge Mark Hart Summerville today sentenced Gray to 2 1/2 years in the House of Correction with two years to serve and the balance suspended for four years.

Gray admitted in court today that he placed 17 individually packaged plastic bags of crack cocaine into a three-year-old child’s sneaker, which the child then wore to a an early education program on November 15.

The child told her teacher that her foot hurt. When the teacher removed the child’s shoe, she discovered the drugs. That teacher notified the director of the program and the Department of Children and Families, who in turn notified Boston Police.

Gray was represented by attorney Lauren Redmond.