A judge in Santa Barbara County Superior Court has dismissed a felony false imprisonment charge against Ashlee Buzzard, the county district attorney said in a statement.
Buzzard, 40, of Lompoc, remains at the center of a mystery surrounding the whereabouts of her 9-year-old daughter Melodee. Melodee was reported missing Oct. 14, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The mother has emerged as a central focus in the investigation after taking her daughter on a road trip to Nebraska on Oct. 7 and then returning home alone, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Buzzard was arrested earlier this month and charged with one count of false imprisonment by violence, according to the criminal complaint filed against her. Buzzard was accused of unlawfully violating the personal liberty of Tyler S. Brewer after disclosing sensitive information to him.
Brewer, a paralegal and acquaintance of Buzzard, said in a statement that he visited Buzzard at her Vandenberg Village home to offer assistance in the search for the missing girl, and that the situation quickly escalated.
“Ms. Buzzard became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing,” Brewer said. “A box cutter was produced, and despite multiple requests to be allowed to exit the home, I was not immediately permitted to leave.”
He said that Buzzard used several locks to secure the door and that this temporarily prevented him from leaving. But at a hearing on Thursday, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge dismissed the case after new evidence came to light that called his version of events into question.
“After the initial report to law enforcement and the filing of the complaint, further investigation yielded additional evidence that was contradictory to the information that was initially provided to detectives,” said Amber Frost, a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara district attorney’s office.
“That evidence was brought out at the hearing and inconsistencies were examined by both sides. Ultimately, it was determined that the evidence was not sufficient to move this case forward to trial,” Frost said.
Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
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