PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "When the woman protested to another deputy, he found the discarded urine test in the trash and notified his superiors, prosecutors said. The woman provided a second urine test, which also tested negative. An investigation found Barrios never administered a narcotics evaluation as he had claimed in a report."
STORY: "California deputy accused of tossing urine test proving woman innocent goes to jail," by Reporter Don Sweeney, published by The Sacramento Bee, on December 20, 2021.
GIST: "A former California sheriff’s deputy convicted of tossing a woman’s urine test after it turned up negative for drugs will serve a year in jail, authorities said.
Richard Charles Barrios III, 29, pleaded guilty in November to destroying physical matter, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
After a year in prison, Barrios will serve two years of probation, a judge ruled Wednesday, Dec. 15.
Barrios pulled over a woman driving in Camarillo in November 2019 and accused her of driving under the influence, McClatchy News reported. Another deputy concurred with his assessment.
The woman denied using drugs but agreed to take a urine test if Barrios would apologize and drive her back to her vehicle if it was negative, prosecutors said.
At the Camarillo Police Station, Barrios tested the woman’s urine sample for drugs, which came back negative, prosecutors said.
He threw the urine test in a trash can, told a supervisor the woman had refused to be tested and arranged for her to be taken to jail, prosecutors said.
When the woman protested to another deputy, he found the discarded urine test in the trash and notified his superiors, prosecutors said
The woman provided a second urine test, which also tested negative.
An investigation found Barrios never administered a narcotics evaluation as he had claimed in a report."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article256717752.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
