FLINT, MI – A woman accused of leaving THC-infused gummies in her refrigerator where her 6-year-old daughter was able to get them, take them to school and pass them out to fellow classmates prompting some of them to go to the hospital has pleaded guilty in Genesee County District Court.
Melinda Alicia Gatica appeared before Judge William H. Crawford of the 67th District Court Thursday, June 23, and pleaded guilty to an amended charge of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse.
The plea agreement also includes a recommendation for no up-front jail time, meaning that if Gatica were to follow the terms of a one-year probationary period prosecutors would dismiss the charge.
The agreement stipulates that Gatica pays outstanding medical bills accrued by classmates who had to be taken to the hospital after ingesting some of the gummies.
“From the beginning, I said she was an individual who was not a criminal but someone who made a mistake,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said in a statement to The Journal. “She’s being held accountable for that mistake. She must pay full restitution for the monies expended because of her error in judgement. And I’m quite sure we got her attention and that of the community reminding folks to safeguard THC products by keeping them away from children.”
Gatica was accused of leaving marijuana gummies in a Life Savers bag inside her refrigerator. Her child took the bag to school with them, mistakenly thinking they were candy, and…
