NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Court records filed in Cleveland County District Court this week reveal that a Norman woman has been charged with Child Neglect and Harboring a Fugitive.
“To know that it’s happening right here is so sad,” said a woman who lives nearby. She asked to stay anonymous.
The court documents show that investigators were called to the house on Donna Drive because “there was concern for three children in the home.” They say the kids are two, eleven and twelve years old.
“I noticed something was going on and they were just gone,” said the neighbor. “I didn’t know what happened.”
According to court records, Ashlee Barnard, 31, let police look around. Inside investigators say they discovered:
- “A safe with a measurable amount of a white crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamines”
- “Part of a drug kit with two syringes inside”
- “No flowing water in the home”
- “The toilet was almost overflowing with human feces”
- “All of the windows in the house have been knocked out and boarded up if repaired with blankets as curtains”
- “Clothes strewn everywhere”
- “A bong with marijuana in it and half smoked blunt were on a tray at the bedside within reach of children”
On top of all that, court records show police found a wanted fugitive with active felony warrants hiding under Barnard’s bed. The fugitive allegedly has a warrant for “being AWOL from drug court.”
Barnard also told police “the father of her child was selling drugs from the home,” according to court records. The report says the man had been in jail for about two months.
“Given the totality of the circumstances it appears the children were deprived,” said the court records. “Their home is an unfit place for them to live.”
Barnard was arrested. She is set to be in court in late February, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
KFOR reached out to the Norman Police Department, but they tell us they cannot comment because the investigation is ongoing.
