A Nevada woman already accused of poisoning her young child is now facing additional charges in Utah, where prosecutors say similar conduct may have occurred months earlier.
Alesha Marie Martin, 25, of Reno, was charged Tuesday in Utah’s 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony. The new case stems from allegations that Martin poisoned her 1-year-old son while the child was in Salt Lake County.
According to charging documents, concerns were first raised in June when the child’s grandfather brought the boy to Primary Children’s Hospital. The grandfather told police that the boy “had been poisoned by his mother, defendant Alesha Marie Martin.” He also told investigators that Martin had been accused of similar behavior in Nevada and believed the child “had also been poisoned by Martin in Salt Lake County.”
Court records outline disturbing admissions allegedly made by Martin during an interview with detectives from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada. On June 6, Martin reportedly acknowledged that she had been giving her son medication that was not prescribed to him. She told investigators that in April, she crushed two clonidine pills and put them into the child’s drink. Clonidine is commonly used to treat high blood pressure and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The charges state that after that initial incident, “Martin said from there she ‘kept doing it.’” She allegedly admitted to administering the medication on at least four occasions. Authorities further allege that while the child was in Utah, Martin gave him clonidine on May 14 and again on May 21 while he was hospitalized, according to KSL.
Charging documents say Martin claimed “she had been dosing (her son) every six to seven days, and Martin stated she had spaced out the dosing ‘so she did not hurt (him).’” She allegedly described crushing pills and mixing them into the child’s milk, yogurt, or sippy cup multiple times throughout May.
Medical records included in the court filing describe the child’s condition as severe. The boy was admitted to a Nevada hospital on May 14 and later airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for “episodes of bradycardia, hypotonia, and hypothermia.” Doctors determined that the child needed to be intubated and required “respiratory support,” and that his condition “constituted a near-fatality.”
The child was released from the hospital on May 27 and returned to Nevada. Prosecutors say that the very next day, Martin “administered another dose, which landed the victim back in the hospital.”
In Nevada, Martin has already been charged with four counts of felony poisoning of food, drinks, water, or medicine, along with one count of child abuse. She is currently being held in the Washoe County Jail. Court documents also note that she has a prior conviction for child abuse in Nevada, adding further weight to the growing legal case against her.
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