Suffield woman whose toddler OD'd on meth granted early prison release

A Suffield Township woman whose toddler overdosed on meth has been granted early release from prison, but she is not yet free.

Retired Judge John Enlow, filling in for Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie J. Pittman, granted judicial release Aug. 30 for 39-year-old Ashley Archer. It came 17 months after Archer was sentenced to four years in prison.

However, Enlow also ordered that Archer be held in Portage County Jail until she is evaluated for a drug treatment program.

Archer was accused of providing the toddler access to meth at Archer's home in August 2022. The child, described in court records at the time as a nearly 2-year-old girl, ingested the meth and overdosed. EMS took her to a hospital and she survived. The girl and Archer's other children were removed from her custody.

In a plea deal, Archer pleaded guilty in November 2022 to attempted corrupting another with drugs and endangering children, both third-degree felonies.

Pittman sentenced Archer in late January 2023.

In a May motion requesting judicial release, Archer's attorney Jonathan Tucker said "chemical dependency issues were the primary motivating factor in the commission of the crime …."

Tucker requested that Archer be taken from the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Union County to the Northeast Ohio Community Alternative Program's facility in Painesville to complete a six-month intensive residential drug treatment program.

"This will greatly reduce the likelihood of the defendant committing any similar offenses by giving her the necessary life skills to withstand her addiction," wrote Tucker.

Tucker also wrote that Archer had committed no violations while incarcerated and obtained a job in prison. He described Archer as a "model prisoner."

According to an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction evaluation attached to the motion, Archer worked as a porter and her duties included various cleaning tasks, taking out trash and organizing bookshelves.

Several prison staff comments within the report are complementary, with evaluations that Archer met or exceeded expectations.

"Ms. Archer has come a long way with doing her duties as a third shift porter and she is doing very exceptional work with a great attitude and is willing to help and is a very patient person," says one comment.

Enlow ordered that Archer be held in the county jail pending the evaluation for NEOCAP and "bed availability," according to court records. She is to remain in the program until she successfully completes it and is to follow all rules.

He also ordered that Archer serve two years probation, with the first year under intensive supervision by the Portage County Adult Probation Department. She is to take part in any other programs deemed necessary, such as anger and stress management counseling, and education and employment counseling.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Suffield woman whose toddler OD'd on meth granted early prison release