A Santa Maria Superior Court judge granted a defense request to release Ashlee Buzzard from jail custody Wednesday morning, but ordered that she must wear an electronic monitoring device.
Buzzard, 40, made her first court appearance for the criminal case alleging false imprisonment after being arrested Friday at her Vandenberg Village home.
The case involves allegations that appear indirectly related to the disappearance of Buzzard’s daughter, 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. The mother has not cooperated with law enforcement officers seeking the girl’s whereabouts, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The missing person investigation started in mid-October.
During the brief court proceeding before Judge John McGregor, Buzzard entered a not-guilty plea and a denial of the special allegation or sentencing enhancement.
Defense attorney Adrian Galvan asked for Buzzard’s release from jail on her own recognizance or with supervision.
Galvan noted Buzzard’s lack of prior criminal history and local address, plus a Probation Department putting her risk assessment at zero.
But Deputy District Attorney Jordan Lockey disagreed, arguing that Buzzard is a flight risk due to the fact her trip east in October included changing wigs and the vehicle’s license plates in what law enforcement officers believe was an attempt to avoid detection.
Lockey said Buzzard has been “notably uncooperative with law enforcement” and other authorities in the effort to determine the location and welfare of her daughter.
“It is apparent she has taken lengths to conceal her identity and whereabouts on other occasions and if she were to be released that is a concern…,” Lockey said, adding the allegations were serious enough that Buzzard’s $100,000 bail had been doubled.
While granting release from jail, the judge ordered Buzzard to report to pre-trial services on Thursday, which will include getting fitted with a GPS device and not possessing firearms, other weapons or narcotics.
McGregor noted the defendant is “not a very young person” but lacks a criminal record and lives locally.
Buzzard’s attorney did not waive her right to speedy trial so the case will return to the Lompoc Superior Court on Nov. 19 for a preliminary hearing setting with the preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for the following day.
However, a defendant’s release from jail sometimes removes a defense attorney’s urgency to move forward quickly on a case so the preliminary hearing date likely is tentative.
McGregor also ordered Buzzard to stay away from and not to contact Tyler S. Brewer, the alleged victim in the false imprisonment case.
Brewer, a licensed legal document assistant, claimed in a social media post that he contacted Buzzard to offer assistance in locating the missing child. He alleged the mother produced a box cutter and didn’t permit him to leave the house on Mars Avenue in Vandenberg Village.
Buzzard “became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing,” Brewer said.
He also claimed to be communicating with the family of Melodee’s late father, Rubiell Meza, who died in a 2016 motorcycle crash in Santa Maria.
However, the father’s mother, Lilly Denes, denied any connection to Brewer.
“We didn’t even know anything about him,” Denes said.
Brewer said he has communicated with Liz Meza, who was married to another Denes son who died four years ago.
Brewer allegedly told NewsNation reporters he had known Buzzard since 2014 and that she told him where and with whom she left Melodee. He later claimed the report was filled with inaccuracies.
As social media users questioned parts of his story, Brewer contended to Noozhawk he sent one cease and desist letter Tuesday to a TikTok user.
During her court appearance and per the judge’s orders, Buzzard wore civilian clothes for the arraignment hearing. McGregor granted media requests to take photographs and video but also instructed media they could not show Buzzard wearing shackles or walking into and out of the courtroom.
Those are typical requests of defense attorneys who don’t want prejudicial images published of their clients awaiting trial.
For the court appearance, Buzzard appeared not to be wearing a wig, including one with long dark hair she had been seen sporting recently. Instead her light-colored curly hair didn’t reach her shoulders.
Denes, who hadn’t seen the mother or daughter for a couple of years, was shocked at Buzzard’s appearance.
“If I would have seen her the street, I’ll be honest with you, I would have never recognized her. She looked so different,” Denes said.
In addition to different hair, Buzzard has lost a significant amount of weight since the last time Denes saw her.
Denes expressed disappointment at the judge’s decision to release Buzzard and the lack of information about Melodee.
“I’m want to know where my granddaughter is,” Denes said. “What’s going on?”
Law enforcement officers began trying to locate Melodee on Oct. 14 after being alerted by educators. They determined the mother and girl traveled east in a rented Chevy Malibu from Lompoc to Nebraska, leaving Oct. 7 and Buzzard returning alone Oct. 10.
The return route may have included Kansas, with Melodee last seen Oct. 9 on video surveillance in the region between the Colorado–Utah border, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation into Melodee’s whereabouts, and her mother’s lack of cooperation, has gone viral and become national news.
A large contingent of media attended the arraignment hearing at the Santa Maria Court Complex, prompting one courier who regularly visits the location to remark it reminded him of the Michael Jackson criminal trial decades ago.