TYLER, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video aired on May 6, 2024.
An East Texas father was sentenced to 40 years in prison after fentanyl pills were found inside their baby's diaper earlier this year.
Dredarian Ester, 27, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance between four and 200 grams, tampering with evidence and prohibited substance in a correctional facility, according to judicial records.
He was sentenced to 40 years for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance charge, and he received 20 years each for tampering with evidence and prohibited substance in a correctional facility. He will serve the 20-year sentences at the same time as the 40-year sentence.
In early morning hours of May 6, Ester and the child's mother, Jada Speight, were arrested after a deputy pulled them over at a 7-Eleven, located at 3400 Van Highway in Tyler. Their 6-month-old girl was in the backseat. The deputy noticed the smell of marijuana, and a conversation led the deputy to believe narcotics may have been concealed in the baby's clothing, the Smith County Sheriff's Office said.
When Speight was changing the baby's diaper, the deputy saw a pill bottle inside of the diaper. The deputy recognized the contents of the bottle as suspected fentanyl pills, according to the SCSO. Ester admitted to placing the pills into the diaper.
Speight has a pre-trial hearing for her manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance charge Thursday morning.
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