LOMPOC, Calif (KABC) — The mother of Melodee Buzzard, a missing 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara County, was arrested Friday on an unrelated charge, the sheriff’s office announced.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, was arrested on a warrant for a felony charge of false imprisonment. She’s set to be booked at the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria on $100,000 bail.
“Detectives learned of a recent incident where Ashlee prevented a victim from leaving a location, against their will which constitutes false imprisonment,” the FBI said in a post on X. “This crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee, however, detectives are unable to fully outline the crime as it would impede their ongoing investigation.”
Video shows Buzzard under arrest outside her home in Lompoc, north of Santa Barbara.
The mother’s arrest comes one day after new surveillance video was released showing her and her daughter at a rental car agency on Oct. 7.
New surveillance video was released Thursday as the search for Melodee Buzzard intensifies.
The last verified sighting of Melodee is now determined to be Oct. 9, sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick told ABC News earlier this week.
Ashlee Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation, according to authorities. Melodee is still considered a missing person, Zick said.
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