Ventura County Sheriff’s deputy charged with tampering with woman’s urine sample

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. -- A Ventura County Sheriff's deputy was charged with two felonies on Monday in Ventura.

Ventura County District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced that Richard Barrios III, 27, from Camarillo was charged with a peace officer concealing physical evidence of a person's innocence and filing a false police report.

On November 12, it was alleged that Barrios, working as an on duty deputy sheriff, committed these two felonies after arresting a woman that he believed to be under the influence of controlled substances. In a press release, it says that Barrios requested the woman to provide a sample of her urine but when the sample came back negative, Barrios threw away the sample and proceeded to file a report saying that the woman did not provide a urine sample.

A Ventura County Sheriff's Office personnel discovered this incident before the innocent woman was incarcerated.

Ventura County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Bureau investigated this case.

Barrios was arrested on an arrest warrant issued by the Ventura County Superior Court.

Barrios is scheduled to be arraigned June 10, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. in the Ventura County Superior Court.

The courtroom has not yet been determined.

Barrios was released from custody with bail set at zero dollars due to the Emergency Bail Schedule issued by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court on April 6, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

If convicted, Barrios faces a maximum sentence of five years and eight months in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.