A 40-year-old Saxonburg woman is facing criminal charges after court documents say she gave a girl a hemp-derived THC seltzer as punishment, then threw her to the ground when the child became sick and vomited. Crystal Roberts was charged September 1 with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and simple assault, according to court records.
The allegations came to light after police learned about two separate incidents during a forensic interview with the juvenile girl in July, as reported by WPXI. Investigators say the case was flagged through a mandatory reporter to ChildLine, Pennsylvania's child abuse hotline. Court documents identify the drink given to the girl as a 3Chi seltzer, a hemp-derived beverage containing 100 milligrams of THC and 10 milligrams of CBD.
According to the outlet's report, the THC drink incident happened in June, on the same day Roberts learned the girl had consumed part of a THC edible with friends. Roberts reportedly purchased the seltzer from a smoke shop and gave it to the girl, later telling her she gave her the drink as a punishment and that she wanted to see what she could tolerate. The girl became extremely dizzy and nauseous, then got sick and threw up, the station's report states.
A Second, Earlier Incident Detailed in Court Records
Court documents also describe a separate confrontation from December 18, 2023, at Roberts' home, per the same account. During an argument with the girl, Roberts allegedly grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her to the ground, causing the girl to hit her head on the frozen ground. The complaint states there was no record of the incident on file with the Saxonburg Borough Police Department, despite the alleged severity of the encounter.
Roberts is expected in court in October, WPXI reports. She faces multiple misdemeanor charges alongside the felony endangerment count, per the outlet's reporting.
Why a 100mg Seltzer Is Legal to Sell at All
The seltzer at the center of the case is manufactured by 3Chi, whose product listing describes the 12-ounce can as formulated for experienced users seeking rapid onset within 5 to 15 minutes, according to 3Chi. The label markets the drink for people with high tolerances, not beginners — a warning that underscores why a 100 mg dose is considered far outside standard recreational use.
That potency is legal under a regulatory gap. Under Pennsylvania's Industrial Hemp Act and the federal 2018 Farm Bill, hemp-derived Delta-9 THC drinks containing 0.3% or less Delta-9 THC by dry weight can be sold without any state-imposed milligram cap per can or age restriction, according to Cannabis Regulations. That loophole lets smoke shops legally retail beverages at doses 10 to 20 times higher than a standard adult serving.
Clinical research reviewed by the National Institutes of Health indicates that pediatric exposure to high-dose cannabis products frequently causes acute toxicity lasting more than six hours, marked by altered mental status, severe lethargy, dizziness, and vomiting, according to research published on PMC. That medical context helps explain the severity of the girl's reaction after drinking the seltzer. According to a 2025 review published through the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central, reported cannabis exposures among children under 6 increased 1,375% from 2017 to 2021. A study published through the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central found that cannabis exposure was most common among children aged <5 years (42%) and 12–17 years (42.4%), while 15.4% of cases involved children ages 5–11.
Statewide Push to Close the Hemp Drink Loophole
Pennsylvania lawmakers and state officials introduced legislative proposals in 2026 aimed at closing Farm Bill loopholes and banning high-potency intoxicating hemp consumables sold in retail shops, according to Spotlight PA. The push comes as child welfare cases across the state continue to mount; the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services reported in its 2025 Annual Child Protective Services Report that nearly 5,000 child abuse reports were substantiated statewide through the county-administered child welfare system, per the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. According to Pennsylvania's 2024 Annual Child Protective Services Report, the state received 41,070 reports of suspected child abuse that year. Pennsylvania's 2025 Annual Child Protective Services Report said the state received 39,486 reports of suspected child abuse, down from 41,070 in 2024.
Saxonburg, a Butler County borough of roughly 1,426 residents, maintains its own local police department to handle municipal law enforcement and child safety complaints. It remains unclear whether investigators will examine the smoke shop that sold the seltzer to Roberts, a question that echoes broader scrutiny of retail hemp sales across Pennsylvania. Roberts' case now heads to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas ahead of her scheduled October court date.
Under Pennsylvania law, the felony endangerment charge Roberts faces carries a maximum of seven years in prison when filed against a parent or guardian supervising a child, according to Pennsylvania statute. The corruption of minors charge is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per the Zuckerman Law Firm, while simple assault is generally a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Ciccarelli Law Offices.
