Ohio mother in custody battle accused of hiding drugs on child

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio (TCD) -- A repeat drug offender is in custody after allegedly planting drugs on a child this week.

According to a news release from the Muskingum Prosecutor’s Office, in the spring of 2022, Victoria Barrientos entered a plea deal for money laundering for her boyfriend, Deangelo Tellis.

Prosecutors negotiated to have her serve 4 1/2 years in prison, but she was sentenced to 18 months. Tellis is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and narcotics trafficking in connection with the case.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, investigators have observed "the gradual reintroduction of her boyfriend’s Columbus-based associates to the Muskingum County area," so they’ve been tracking Barrientos’ case for around a year.

The Prosecutor’s Office said that on Monday, July 31, officials arrested Barrientos while she was on her way to Zanesville to try to regain custody of one of her children.

At the time of her arrest, Barrientos had other children in her car, and Children Services was reportedly there to place the kids in proper care. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, while going through the children’s items, caseworkers discovered a large amount of suspected suboxone strips with an estimated value of $30,000 planted on a child.

Prosecutors noted that the suboxone, a "street drug of abuse marketed by pharmaceutical companies as an alternative to opiates," was bagged for distribution.

Barrientos was initially charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in fentanyl, and money laundering. She appeared in court for a hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 2, and her bond was reduced from $750,000 to $500,000.

Prosecutors said they requested a bond of $1 million after filing additional charges against Barrientos for endangering children, corrupting a child with drugs, trafficking in drugs within a school zone, and possession of drugs.

If convicted, Barrientos faces more than 30 years in prison.

MORE:

• Repeat drug offender charged for hiding drugs on children —Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office