An Edgecomb woman who allegedly gave her 13-year-old daughter marijuana brownies in March pleaded guilty to misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child July 20.
Jennifer E. Becker, 49, pleaded guilty July 20 to the class D charge, the lesser of two charges resulting from the allegations. In return, the state dismissed a count of class C aggravated unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs, according to court documents.
A class C crime is a felony with a maximum penalty of five years incarceration; a class D crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 364 days incarceration.
Becker entered the plea as part of an agreement that delays sentence for a year, during which she must complete a parenting class, perform 40 hours of community service, and abide by several other conditions, according to court documents.
If she abides by these conditions, she can withdraw her plea. The state will dismiss the charge of endangering the welfare of a child and Becker will instead pay a $600 fine for a civil infraction of marijuana possession.
If Becker violates the agreement, she could face up to the maximum penalty for a class D crime.
Becker will return to the Lincoln County Courthouse for a dispositional hearing at 1 p.m., July 25, 2016.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Becker March 16.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services had received a complaint that Becker had provided her daughter with the brownies, according to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office press release.
“After investigating and conferring with the district attorney’s office, arrest warrants were issued for Ms. Becker and she was arrested without incident,” according to the press release. LCSO Detective Scott Hayden was the lead investigator.
Becker denied the charges in a phone interview March 17. “It’s hurting my children that it’s being blown out of proportion like this,” she said. “Nothing was given to my daughter.”
Becker repeatedly stressed the differences between marijuana and hemp in the interview.
Becker owns Farmers Overall, a business that imports and distributes hemp products. Hemp is a fiber that derives from the stem of the same plant as marijuana – Cannabis sativa – yet lacks the psychoactive properties of marijuana.
Becker is an advocate for the commercial use of hemp in a variety of applications, including as an ingredient in various food products.
“The health benefits of industrial hemp are something we’re not getting in our diet and there’s no THC in it,” Becker said. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.
