Inset: Ashley Maxwell (Tippecanoe County Jail). Background: Columbian Park in Lafayette, Ind. (Google Maps).
A woman from Indiana is currently in custody after allegedly threatening children with a firearm at a local park, warning one child she would “light him up,” according to police in the Hoosier State.
Ashley Nicole Maxwell, aged 31, faces a slew of charges. Among these are two counts each of intimidation involving the use or display of a deadly weapon and intimidation with a threat of a forcible felony. Additionally, she is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and illegal possession of a handgun by someone with a felony conviction in the past 15 years. She is also accused of driving with a suspended license.
The incident unfolded on Sunday evening at Columbian Park in Lafayette, as reported by the Lafayette Police Department.
At approximately 5:55 p.m., law enforcement responded to a call about an armed individual in the vicinity, based on a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN.
Officers interviewed a group of children, aged between 7 and 14, as stated in the charging documents. The children recounted an encounter with a woman wearing a pink bonnet and a blue shirt.
They described how the woman took a gun from her fanny pack and threatened them with it, subsequently making a verbal threat to blow up the park, according to the children’s accounts.
The gun-toting woman also threatened to shoot some of the children, according to the witnesses. In one instance, the woman threatened a child directly by saying she would “light him up,” police said.
As the investigation continued, police obtained a license plate number said to belong to the vehicle the suspect left the park in, according to the affidavit. A search of records then led investigators to another person whom they termed a known confidant of Maxwell.
Less than 20 minutes after arriving at the park, police spotted the defendant driving the vehicle on 21st Street, law enforcement stated. A traffic stop was performed at the intersection of Thompson Street and Lincoln Street, roughly half a mile from the park.
There were six children in the car with Maxwell, and her driver’s license was suspended, police said. The defendant was said to be wearing a blue shirt and a crossbody satchel when she was pulled over.
Officers also allege they could smell marijuana on Maxwell’s breath, according to the affidavit. When police questioned her about the odor, the defendant said she had a joint in her pocket, police claim.
Maxwell was also charged with one count of possession of marijuana.
The defendant was subsequently booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail. During the jail intake process, officers found a pink bonnet in one of Maxwell’s pockets, police said.
As the investigation continued, police went to the defendant’s residence to inquire about firearms. A man there said there were no guns inside, denied police entry and permission to search, and said they “were not getting into his safe,” according to the affidavit.
Later, officers obtained a search warrant and allegedly discovered different kinds of ammunition and various firearm accessories inside the house. Then, police discovered a black grocery bag in the backyard containing a Taurus GC2 9 mm handgun, magazines, a black plastic holster, two cellphones and a baggie containing various kinds of ammunition, police said.
Investigators determined Maxwell had recently made a phone call to one of the residents asking them to hide the gun and ammunition somewhere outside of the house, according to the affidavit.
The defendant is being detained on a $200,000 surety and $20,000 cash bond. She is next slated to appear in court on July 17.
