An ironically-named woman is going to prison after smuggling methamphetamine into a California facility where an inmate swallowed the drug-filled balloons and died.
Johna Kay Martinez-Meth, 46, of Clearlake, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of prisoner Adrian Sepulveda. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Martinez-Meth was sentenced to two years in prison Feb. 21 in a Solano County courtroom.
"CDCR is committed to stopping the flow of drugs into our prisons," Bryan Shill, deputy chief of CDCR's Office of Correctional Safety, said in a news release. "Our investigators will diligently pursue those who smuggle narcotics into any state correctional facility, and we will seek justice through aggressive prosecution of violators."
Sepulveda, who was processed into the state prison system in 1997, was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder out of Alameda County.
Prison officials said Martinez-Meth was visiting Sepulveda, 46, at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville May 28, 2018, when she passed him several balloons filled with meth. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Martinez-Meth hid the drugs somewhere on her body, but the specifics of how she hid them were not immediately known.
Sepulveda swallowed the balloons, which apparently burst. The drugs caused a fatal overdose, according to prison officials.
The balloons were found during the inmate’s autopsy.
"Investigators from CDCR's Bay Area Special Service Unit (SSU) and CMF's Investigative Services Unit (ISU) determined Martinez-Meth visited the inmate shortly before his death," a news release from jail officials said. "Special agents from SSU, CMF's ISU and CDCR's Fugitive Apprehension Team served a search warrant on Aug. 2, 2018, at Martinez-Meth's Clearlake residence and found items including methamphetamine, balloons and glue."
Martinez-Meth was arrested at that time. Investigators worked with prosecutors from the Solano County District Attorney’s Office to secure the felony conviction in Sepulveda’s death.
Jared Lozano, acting warden of the California Medical Facility, praised the cooperative efforts.
"I am proud to work with a team that continues to show an unrelenting commitment to protecting our staff, inmate population and visitors alike," Lozano said in the news release.
About the Author
