Apr 13, 2016 2 min read

A Canonsburg mother accused of using heroin before crashing her vehicle with her daughter in the back seat earlier this year waived her case to Washington County Court Wednesday.

Jennifer Marie McCarthy, 34, of 447 Ridge Ave., was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on charges of endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, possession of heroin, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia.

Canonsburg police were called Jan. 2 to the rear of 601 W. Pike St. for a report of a vehicle that crashed into a tree. Police were told the driver, later identified as McCarthy, was having a seizure and there was an infant in the vehicle.

When police arrived, Canonsburg Ambulance personnel were treating McCarthy. A paramedic told police it appeared to be an overdose and that he and an emergency medical technician administered Narcan to revive her.

Officer Matthew Tharp, who filed the charges, took her infant daughter, who was 11 months old at the time, from bystanders.

She had a small cut on her face, likely caused when a bystander broke a window to get into the vehicle.

Mother and daughter were taken to Canonsburg Hospital for evaluation. Police found three used stamp bags in the vehicle along with four unused bags.

McCarthy remains free on her own recognizance. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges June 29.