AURORA, Colo. — A 29-year-old Aurora man was sentenced last week after his girlfriend's 3-year-old son overdosed on fentanyl.
On July 27, following a two-day trial, a jury found Antonio Espinosa-Tovar guilty of child abuse and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
He was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in the Department of Corrections.
The charges stemmed from May 2021, when officers with the Aurora Police Department responded to Children's Hospital Colorado after a 3-year-old had been brought in after ingesting an opioid. Toxicology tests showed the child had fentanyl in his system.
Hospital staff were able to stabilize the child's health after administering three doses of Naloxone, according to the district attorney's office.
Police searched the home of Espinosa-Tovar, who lived with his girlfriend and her two children.
The investigators found 71 Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl on a shelf, the district attorney's office said.
Espinosa-Tovar told police he had been selling pills to make extra money since he did not have a job. He said he also knew the child had eaten part of a pill after he found half of one on the floor, the district attorney's office said.
“We’re grateful that this 3-year-old child was able to recover following Mr. Espinosa Tovar’s reckless actions,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “While this situation could have ended in tragedy, this man must be held accountable for putting innocent lives in danger. He made a careless choice to leave this deadly poison in a residence where young children were staying.”