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Babysitter Fed Pot-Laced Margarine to Girl, 12

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on May 24, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Stevie Hickey, and her pot-laced margarine, exemplifies all that which is simultaneously wonderful and horrible about unhindered access to the internet.

After learning how to make pot-laced margarine online, the 22-year-old Pennsylvania woman fed it to three children, including a 12-year-old girl she was babysitting.

Brings new meaning to I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, eh?

It's unclear how it happened, but the Associated Press reports that the mother of the 12-year-old girl called Upper Burrell Township police after finding the pot-laced margarine.

It was in the freezer and Stevie Hickey had spread it on toast, telling the girl that it was parsley butter.

Stevie Hickey was charged with marijuana possession and child endangerment, but the Valley News Dispatch reports that she is out on her own recognizance after waiving her right to a preliminary hearing.

What, exactly, is a preliminary hearing? And why did Stevie Hickey waive it?

To understand a preliminary hearing, you must first understand an arraignment.

At an arraignment, the judge informs the defendant of the charges, makes sure he has an attorney, requests a plea and decides bail. He will also set a date for the preliminary hearing.

At a preliminary hearing, the judge will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. This usually requires a showing by the prosecutor that there was probable cause to arrest the defendant, as demonstrated by physical evidence and witnesses.

Chances are Stevie Hickey waived her right to a preliminary hearing because the police found the pot-laced margarine in her freezer, meaning that she can do little to rebut the charges.

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