Parents Warned About Dope-Infused Vape Pens Being Sold To Local Kids

HEMET, CA — Another young person was arrested for furnishing cannabis via vape pens to children, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday. The report follows one earlier this week involving two 18-year-olds charged with similar crimes.

James David Britton, Jr., 20, of Hemet was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of furnishing marijuana to a minor and child cruelty — both felonies. He was being held at Southwest Detention Center but was released Wednesday on $50,000 bail, jail records show.

Formal charges were not filed as of Thursday morning, according to court records.

Britton's arrest followed an investigation that began last month when a Hemet Sheriff’s Station School Resource Officer learned that vape pens containing concentrated cannabis were being sold to students attending a school in the 41500 block of East Mayberry Avenue in Hemet.

Britton used social media to sell the vape pens and would arrange meeting locations to complete the deals, according to the sheriff's department.

A warrant was issued for Britton's arrest and he was nabbed during a traffic stop in San Jacinto, the department reported.

On Wednesday, a young woman accused with her boyfriend of dealing marijuana to students at schools throughout the Temecula Valley was charged with multiple felony counts, including furnishing cannabis to a child under 14 years old.

Catherine Ann Hickisch was arrested Friday alongside Anthony Harry Mathisen, both 18 and of Murrieta, following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

In addition to the furnishing count, Hickisch was charged with two counts each of distribution of controlled substances and possession of controlled substances for sale.

She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who, at the request of the defendant's attorney, scheduled a bail review hearing for March 15 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Hickisch is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Mathisen was booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Friday, but he was able to post a $1 million bond Saturday, after which he was released from custody. He's charged identically to his co-defendant and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 17.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Perez, last month, deputies at the Southwest Station in French Valley initiated an investigation stemming from information that cannabis "was being sold to juveniles who attend middle and high schools throughout the city of Temecula and unincorporated French Valley."

Investigators determined that Hickisch and Mathisen were allegedly selling "vape pens containing concentrated cannabis to minors," Perez said.

"Furthermore, it was determined Mathisen and Hickisch distributed concentrated cannabis and psilocybin — commonly referred to as mushrooms — using a mobile delivery service, identified as 'AtomicClouds,'" the sergeant said.

Deputies obtained and served search warrants at the defendants' residence in the area of Madison Avenue and Murrieta Hot Springs Road, where "evidence related to the sales of marijuana and psilocybin was located and recovered," Perez said.

The pair were taken into custody without incident. Neither has prior documented felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

The sheriff's department has issued a warning to parents.

"Parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s social media for any suspicious activity," the department reported. "There are parental control applications available in the market that allow for the monitoring of social media sites by parents or guardians. This is a trusted option to assist in keeping your children safe and secure. We also encourage parents to routinely speak with their children about being responsible internet users and online safety."

—Patch editor Toni McAllister and City News Service contributed to this report.