Photo by Janelle Patterson Ellie Barnhart, right, is taken into custody Thursday in Washington County Common Pleas Court by Deputy Randy Stackpole after being sentenced to prison for starving her baby.

MARIETTA — The Waterford woman who starved her infant last spring was sentenced to prison Thursday.

Ellie Barnhart, 30, of 1220 Watertown Road, told Judge Mark Kerenyi in Washington County Common Pleas Court that she believes, in retrospect, that using marijuana while pregnant and breastfeeding the baby saved her son’s life.

“It gave him an appetite during his illness,” she claimed, citing symptoms of diarrhea and dropping weight as signs of what she believes was cystic fibrosis.

But her claims were refuted by Protective Case Worker Ashley Clay in court Thursday. She noted that the testing performed on the infant when he was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus last June concluded only an inorganic failure to thrive, dehydration, starvation and brain damage with no underlying illness.

Barnhart had previously pleaded guilty to endangering children, a third-degree felony, on April 25, after her former boyfriend, Brent E. Reynolds, 32, of the same address, was sentenced March 22 in the same case to 90 days in jail with three days of confinement credit.

At the time the baby was flown to Columbus Reynolds was believed to be the father of the boy, but through further testing was later found to not be related.

Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Graham recommended 180 days of jail time for Barnhart, explaining that she had more culpability in the state of her child’s nutrition because she was at home breastfeeding him, while Reynolds had not been present much of the day due to work.

“There’s evidence that from Columbus she was even texting friends down here about how great the crack was,” noted Graham.

But Barnhart’s attorney Rolf Baumgartel said the recommendation by the state to sentence twice the time as Reynolds was harsh.

“Obviously the baby was in very serious condition when it was taken to the hospital but for the mother to be treated twice as harshly as the father is wrong,” he said, then noted the presence of officers from the sheriff’s office present to witness the sentencing. “It’s clearly just an attempt to intimidate this court… that’s offensive.”

Barnhart told Kerenyi she had no intention to harm her third child last year.

“I love my son very much and all my children,” she said.

“You say you didn’t want to hurt your child but you almost killed your child,” replied Kerenyi.

“Yes, I am guilty of consuming THC, (tetrahydrocannabinol which is the chemical compound in cannabis),” she said.

“And the opiates?” asked Kerenyi.

Barnhart said the opiates for which the baby tested positive at birth were prescribed.

“My opinion is that the THC is what saved his life, it allowed him to have an appetite,” she explained.

“You understand the child is thriving now that someone else is feeding him,” said Kerenyi, before proceeding to sentencing.

Kerenyi also questioned Clay on why the baby was allowed to be unsupervised with the parents after testing positive for drugs at birth.

Clay explained that an initial plan was set up through Children Services to meet with a caseworker and Barnhart had avoided several appointments. Clay said contact was only finally made days prior to the baby’s hospitalization.

Kerenyi allowed Barnhart 35 days of confinement to be credit for time already served in jail prior to sentencing.

“There is nothing that makes this less serious,” he noted, going through previous misdemeanor trespass and drug convictions. “A prison term is consistent with this offense.”

That determination raised eyebrows at both the defense and prosecution tables.

“You will be sentenced to Marysville Reformatory for a definite term of 18 months,” said Kerenyi. “Now I will consider judicial release after six months but I want to see you’re actually working hard in prison to consider that early release.”

Clay testified in court that the baby, born March 8, 2017, has since last June been on the mend, gaining weight and eating healthily in the same foster home since he was removed from Barnhart and Reynolds’ care last year.