Mother Of Toddler Arrested On Sexual Abuse And Child Abuse Charges

A 22-year-old mother has been arrested and charged with the child abuse and sexual abuse of her 18-month-old child, Boone County Sheriff's Office said.

Jessica Ahlbrand of Florence, Cincinnati was arrested Wednesday after police gathered evidence of the abuse from her video chat with an inmate of Boone County Detention Center, reported local news outlet WCPO. The inmate is Ahlbrand's boyfriend and father of the child.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the deputies watched a video chat between Alhbrand and the inmate which happened on May 10. In the video, the woman was heard telling her boyfriend that she could not find her "snacks" and that the child was most likely the culprit who had consumed them.

Deputies believe that the "snacks" contained Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

She then went on to display several photos of the child, who appeared to be under the influence and incoherent. "Deputies observed Ahlbrand and her boyfriend laughing at the sight of the photographs," the press release from the Sheriff's office said.

"From the same video chat, deputies observed Ahlbrand walk into the child's bedroom and perform sexual acts on herself while in the presence of the child," the statement read.

On May 15, she made another video call with the inmate, in which she also performed sexual acts on herself while the child was in the room, the release said.

Ahlbrand has been charged with one count of sexual abuse of a victim under 12 years of age and criminal abuse of a child 12 or under. She is being held at the Boone County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond.

Following her arrest, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services took custody of the child.

Last month, a 24-year-old woman was arrested in Etowah County, Alabama, after testing positive for multiple drugs while giving birth. Whitney Nicole Reeves was charged with the felony of chemical endangerment of exposing a child to an environment in which controlled substances are ingested, produced, or distributed. Reeves reportedly tested positive for both amphetamine and methamphetamine. Her newborn had also tested positive for the drugs.