An Indiana woman is facing a string of serious charges after she allegedly pulled a gun on children as young as seven at a public park, threatened to blow the entire park up, and later tried to have the weapon hidden before police could find it.
Ashley Nicole Maxwell, 31, was arrested following an incident at Columbian Park in Lafayette on Sunday evening. Officers arrived around 5:55 p.m. after receiving reports of an armed person in the area. What they found, according to children ranging in age from seven to fourteen, was a woman in a pink bonnet and blue shirt who had reached into her fanny pack, produced a handgun, and brandished it at them.
The woman allegedly threatened to shoot some of the children and told one directly that she would “light him up,” police said. She also threatened to blow up the park, according to Fox.
Police tracked down a license plate connected to the vehicle Maxwell had left in, which led them to a known associate. Within twenty minutes of arriving at the park, officers spotted Maxwell driving on 21st Street and pulled her over about half a mile away.
When they did, they found six children inside the car with her. Her driver’s licence was suspended. Officers said they could smell marijuana on her breath, and when questioned, Maxwell reportedly said she had a joint in her pocket.
During the jail intake process following her arrest, officers found a pink bonnet stuffed in one of her pockets — matching the description given by the children at the park.
The investigation did not stop there. When police visited Maxwell’s residence to ask about firearms, a man at the home denied them entry and said they “were not getting into his safe.” Officers later returned with a search warrant and found ammunition and firearm accessories inside the house.
In the backyard, inside a black grocery bag, they discovered a Taurus GC2 9mm handgun, magazines, a holster, two cellphones and additional ammunition. Investigators allege Maxwell had called someone at the residence from jail, asking them to hide the gun and ammunition outside before police could search the property.
Maxwell faces a lengthy list of charges, including two counts of intimidation with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and possession of marijuana, among others.
She is being held on a $200,000 surety and $20,000 cash bond and is due back in court on July 17.