Ventura County sheriff’s deputy arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence

A Ventura County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Friday on suspicion of destroying evidence and filing a false police report, stemming from a November incident in which he arrested a woman on charges of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to a media release from the department.

Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Barrios requested the woman provide a urine sample at the Camarillo patrol station. He discarded it after it showed a negative result for the drugs, then wrote that she never took the test, the release said.

The woman gave a second urine sample to another deputy a couple hours later, according to the release.

“That sample also tested negative for the presence of a controlled substance. As a result, the woman was released without being booked into jail, and no further criminal proceedings took place.”

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau arrested Barrios on Friday afternoon on suspicion of one felony count of destroying evidence and one felony count of filing a false report. He was booked at the East County Jail Facility in Thousand Oaks.