No Jail in Day Care/Pot Farm Case

(Belvidere, New Jersey) Arrested last October, yesterday Liz Kemp was convicted of farming marijuana at the same location she was operating a day care for children.

The former operator of a Greenwich Township day care center admitted Thursday to growing marijuana on the same Route 57 property where she cared for children, court records show.

Liz Kemp, who also had been serving as president of the Greenwich Township Parent Teacher Organization, pleaded guilty to a second-degree marijuana charge and two counts of fourth-degree child neglect.

In exchange, prosecutors have agreed to her application for admission into the county's five-year drug court program. Participants in the intensive program must submit to frequent drug testing, appear in court for updates on their progress and meet numerous other requirements.

Authorities said if Kemp fails to comply with program requirements, she would face a possible three-year state prison sentence.

Her position as president of the PTO came to an abrupt end after the charges surfaced. PTO members quickly distanced themselves by firing Kemp.

In her defense, Ms. Kemp claimed she used marijuana to treat an anxiety disorder.

Curiously, I would question what came first -- the anxiety disorder or the pot farm. I suspect that anyone concurrently responsible for other people's kids and an illegal marijuana operation would logically be a bit jumpy.

One could surmise that Kemp became anxious because she was using and growing marijuana whereas beforehand she was quite composed.