POT BROWNIES GET DAD IN TROUBLE

He's Charged After Daughter Gets Sick From Drug-Laced Dessert

Waukesha - A father has been charged with two crimes after his
5-year-old daughter got sick after eating marijuana-laced brownies
she found in the family's home.

On Saturday night, the girl's father, 24, of Waukesha, dropped his
daughter off at his mother's home because he was going to a concert
in Milwaukee, said police Capt. Mike Babe.

Babe gave this account:

Later that evening, the grandmother noticed the child was lethargic,
her pupils were dilated and she was acting "strangely." She also had
what the grandmother called an "unusual appetite."

When the girl said she had eaten brownies that were on top of the
stove at home, the grandmother took the child to the emergency room
at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Police were called to the hospital at
1:51 a.m. Sunday, after tests came back positive for the presence of
marijuana in the girl's bloodstream.

The father, who is not being named to protect the child's identity,
was arrested at the hospital, and then charged Monday with felonious
possession of marijuana, as a second offense, and with misdemeanor
obstruction of an officer, according to court records.

Child Released From Hospital

The girl was treated and released from the hospital.

The maximum penalties, if the father is convicted, are 18 months in
prison on the felony count plus two years of extended supervision,
and nine months in jail on the misdemeanor count. Each charge also
carries a maximum $10,000 fine.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez set a $2,500 signature
bond and ordered the father not to reside in the same household as
his daughter, not to have any violent contact with the girl and not
to possess or consume any alcohol or drugs, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 19.

Assistant District Attorney Lloyd Carter said the case has been sent
back to Waukesha police for further investigation, which could lead
to further charges, including child neglect.

"We're looking at this as a very serious situation," Carter said.