Mother of Wandering 4-Year-Old in Forest Hills Waives Preliminary Hearing

Markea Amanda Joy Kirby, 31, of Forest Hills waived her right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Thomas Caulfield on charges of endangering the welfare of children, and public drunkenness and similar misconduct.

Forest Hills police filed the charges after Kirby's 4-year-old daughter was found at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 12 wandering in the Plaza Shopping Center on Ardmore Boulevard with no shoes or jacket, according to a criminal complaint. The temperature that day was 35-degrees.

A charge of use/possession of drug paraphernalia was withdrawn.

In other cases heard by Caulfield on Dec. 5:

• Matthew L. Heyl, 22, of Penn Hills waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of intentional possession of a controlled substance by a person not registered, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and disregard of traffic lane (single) that were filed by Churchill police. According to a criminal complaint, a Churchill officer in a marked car was exiting the Parkway East on the Penn Hills ramp Aug. 25 when he noticed a green Saturn in front of him failing to maintain a single traffic lane and driving erratically. The officer initiated a traffic stop and noticed two people inside the car. The female passenger began making furtive movements under the seat and toward the floor. Fearing the suspect might be hiding a weapon, both Heyl, who was driving, and the woman passenger, Catherine Clifford-Tolbart, were removed from the car. A bundle of empty stamp bags of heroin fell from Clifford-Tolbart's shorts. The officer found a hypodermic needle and numerous empty stamp bags of heroin from the passenger side of the car and a small amount of marijuana in the center console. Charges of possession of marijuana and careless driving against Heyl were withdrawn.

• Aleksandra Harmon, 24, of Squirrel Hill was held for court on two counts of theft by unlawful taking-moveable property and two counts of receiving stolen property after charges were filed by Swissvale police. According to a criminal complaint, Swissvale police were dispatched to a home in the 7400 block of Delmar Way after a man reported a burglary that had occured two days before. He accused Harmon, who had been a guest there, of taking a Nintendo game system and a brown leather purse from the home.

For other cases heard by Caulfield last week, click here.