A Portsmouth woman arrested in February in the death of her infant has been indicted by the Scioto County Grand Jury.
Kristen Vassar, 26, was arrested Feb. 6 on charges connected to the death of her baby, Tamen Briar King. She has been at the Scioto County Jail ever since, where she has been held on a $180,000 bond.
The Scioto County Grand Jury handed down an indictment this week on 10 separate counts: two counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, three charges of endangering children, aggravated possession of drugs, possession of cocaine, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, and tampering with evidence.
Local attorney Marc May has been appointed to represent Vassar and the prosecution will be led by Julie Hutchinson of the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office. Vassar’s next court date is a pretrial at 11 a.m. today in Scioto County Court of Common Pleas.
At the time of the incident, Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman said officers and detectives responded to a 911 call from 1902 Kendall Ave., Apt. J, Portsmouth, reporting an unresponsive infant, baby Tamen. Tamen was declared dead at the scene, where both fentanyl and cocaine were found.
The Portsmouth Police Department contacted the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit.
Tamen’s body was sent to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy. Vassar was interviewed at the sheriff’s office and was arrested without incident on involuntary manslaughter and drug charges.
Reach Lori McNelly at [email protected] or at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1928. © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
