NORFOLK, Va. — The mother of the 2-year-old who was the subject of an AMBER Alert on Thursday has been charged and arrested after he was found safe. New court documents obtained by News 3 reveal more information about her arrest.
35-year-old Ashley Dagner was charged with one count of domestic assault and two counts of felony child neglect, according to police. She is being held without bond in Norfolk City Jail.
Watch previous coverage: Mother of 2-year-old in AMBER Alert charged with neglect, abuse; man not charged
An AMBER Alert was issued for Dagner's 2-year-old child after he was reported missing early Thursday morning. A few hours after the alert, the 2-year-old was found safe in Norfolk, police said. The man he was with at the time, James Lynch, was detained by police and later released without being charged.
Court documents obtained by News 3 reveal that Dagner is accused of driving drunk with her two children in the car — neither of whom was wearing a seatbelt. During an interview, Lynch — who court docs say is Dagner's boyfriend — said he was allegedly punched in the face by her. According to court documents, Dagner then called police to report that her child had been taken by Lynch.
Watch previous coverage: TFC Recycling driver recalls calling 911 after spotting man and child that matched AMBER Alert description
TFC Recycling driver Darwin Montgomery told News 3 that he heard the AMBER Alert and spotted a man and child matching the description issued in that notice, prompting him to call 911.
"What went through my mind was if it was my child: 'What would I do?'" Montgomery recalled. "So I had to go into Superman mode. Basically. So if I would have had to get out and subdue him myself, I might have tried that. But my mindset to call the authorities and do it the right way."
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