'I made a mistake': Suffield mom sentenced to four years after toddler daughter ODs on meth
A Suffield Township woman whose toddler daughter overdosed on methamphetamine last August was sentenced to four years in prison Monday morning.
"I am human, I made a mistake and I am sorry," said Ashley Archer, 37, before her sentencing in Portage County Court of Common Pleas.
"Hell of a mistake," replied Judge Laurie J. Pittman. "You could have killed your child. I just don't understand people like you who have children and expose them to harmful drugs, people. It's crazy."
According to complaints the Portage County Sheriff's Office filed in court, Archer provided the toddler access to meth at the family's Martin Road home on Aug. 2. The toddler, a girl who turned 2 soon after, then ingested and overdosed on the meth. She was admitted to a local hospital's pediatric intensive care unit.
The girl survived. All of Archer's children were removed from her custody.
During the sentencing hearing, Prosecutor Kimberly Kaplan-Quinn requested that Pittman sentence Archer to four years in prison, but added that the prosecutor's office would not oppose Pittman later granting her early judicial release.
"By the grace of God, the child is still here," said Kaplan-Quinn.
Pittman said she would consider early release to have Archer placed in a residential drug treatment facility.
"I believe that is something you need, but you need to be punished first," Pittman told Archer.
Jonathan Tucker, Archer's attorney, said that during the several months Archer was on house arrest following her arrest in August, Archer voluntarily went through a chemical dependency program and tested negative for drugs during that time. He requested that her sentence be confinement to a treatment facility.
"My client has accepted responsibility for what occurred," he said. "Although this is a terrible situation that occurred, she did do the smart thing when she noticed that her daughter was not acting appropriately and she rushed her to an emergency room, which is what you would expect. So this could have been much worse. We're thankful that it is not. My client immediately realized she has a chemical dependency issue."
Kaplan-Quinn acknowledged that Archer did get medical help for her daughter.
"However," Kaplan-Quinn added, "the child should never have been in that position."
Tucker also said that Archer had a job before her daughter's overdose.
"She expects at some point, she will become employed again so she can be a productive member of society," he said. "But she definitely has to deal with this dependency issue."
Archer pleaded guilty in November to attempted corrupting another with drugs and endangering children, both third-degree felonies. As part of a plea deal, the attempted corrupting charge was amended down from second-degree felony corrupting another with drugs. Two counts of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs also were dismissed.
One of the drug possession charges was connected with meth authorities say was found at Archer's home the day the girl overdosed. The other charge was due to meth allegedly found in Archer's vehicle in the parking lot of the Portage County Juvenile Court, where Archer was arrested Aug. 4.
Archer was originally scheduled for sentencing in late December, but a warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to appear for an appointment with the court's adult probation department as part of a pre-sentence investigation. Tucker said that when contacted, Archer immediately turned herself in. She was ordered held in Portage County Jail without bond until the investigation could be completed and a rescheduled sentencing hearing held.
Pittman also ordered that Archer pay a $300 fine and $312 in court costs within seven years. Pittman said Archer has the option of performing community service at $10 per hour.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Suffield woman gets four years after toddler daughter ODs on meth
