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Woman accused of child abuse after baby allegedly tested positive for meth

Daily Times - 5/14/2021

FARMINGTON — A San Juan County woman is accused of child abuse after a 3-month-old baby tested positive for methamphetamine after being rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Leosha Rivera, 26, is accused of a third-degree felony count of child abuse, according to the criminal complaint.

Sarah Field, Rivera’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.

A San Juan County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched around 1:13 a.m. on March 30 to San Juan Regional Medical Center on reports of a baby who tested positive for meth, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

The deputy spoke with a worker for the New Mexico Child, Youth and Family Department and Rivera at the hospital.

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Rivera told the deputy she regularly engages in smoking meth and had smoked on the night of March 29 at a residence on County Road 6191, east of Farmington, according to court documents.

The defendant allegedly said she did not know how the baby was exposed to the narcotic, as she doesn’t leave it lying around and does not “shoot up.”

Rivera noticed the baby was behaving differently and his color appeared “off,” according to court documents. The baby was gnawing on his hand and saliva was building up. She noticed he had a hard time swallowing.

The baby was given a bath by Rivera then she rushed him to the hospital, according to court documents.

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A female relative told law enforcement she wasn’t surprised the baby tested positive for drugs. When the relative saw the baby, she said the child was starting to turn “blue,” the documents stated.

The arrest warrant for Rivera was issued on March 30.

She was booked on April 11 into the San Juan County Adult Detention Center and released the next day.

Rivera on May 13 waived her preliminary hearing in Aztec Magistrate Court. The case was bound over to state district court.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Woman accused of child abuse after baby allegedly tested positive for meth

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