Police: Hampton mother had drugs, drug paraphernalia in car with her children

A Hampton mother is facing felony child endangerment charges after police found marijuana and associated paraphernalia in her car during a traffic stop in August, according to a criminal complaint.

Officer Nathan Meade said the items were in arms reach of the woman’s two daughters, who also were in the car. The children could have easily accessed the devices or ingested the drugs, according to the complaint.

Meade said he pulled over a car being driven by Kristen Greenwald, 41, at the intersection of Center and Wyland avenues at about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 31 because the registration light was out.

The car came to a stop across from the parking lot of Western Pennsylvania Montessori School, according to the complaint.

Meade said he asked Greenwald for her license and registration. As he did, he detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car. Meade asked Greenwald to get out of the car, and told her what he had smelled.

Greenwald told the officer there was no marijuana inside the car, but admitted she had smoked marijuana inside the car and at her residence earlier, according to the complaint. Greenwald said she didn’t smoke the marijuana in front of her children, police said.

Meade asked Greenwald if she had a medicinal card for the marijuana. She told him no, according to the complaint.

As the two spoke, Meade noticed an item protruding from inside Greenwald’s pants, which turned out to be a crack pipe. Greenwald also relinquished two Gabapentin capsules, a prescription medication, that had been hidden inside her bra, according to the complaint.

Investigators searched the car, and found a small amount of marijuana in Greenwald’s purse and a partially smoked marijuana cigarette in the center console, the complaint said.

Also in the center console was a digital scale with suspected marijuana residue on it, a glass coaster with a white powder residue on it, two used suspected THC vape cartridges and a small clear plastic bag with a white powder residue inside, police said.

There was a smoking pipe that contained marijuana residue in the glove compartment. Inside a bag on the front passenger floorboard were an empty package of cannabis oil and a metal spoon with a black char mark on the underside and white residue in the bowl, police said.

A metal socket that appeared to have been turned into a makeshift marijuana smoking device was on the rear passenger seat. That socket contained burnt marijuana residue, police said. Also on the rear passenger seat was a plastic container that contained a partially smoked marijuana cigarette, police said.

Additionally, the complaint said, loose tobacco and marijuana shake was seen on the floorboard throughout the car.

Greenwald faces two felony charges of child endangerment as well as misdemeanor drug charges and a traffic citation, according to online court records. Charges were filed Sept. 30, and a summons was issued on Oct 1.

No attorney is listed for Greenwald in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 28 before Magisterial District Judge Tom Swan in West Deer.