Mom Of Battered Autistic Boy Arrested; Abuse Charges Pending
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- The Washington County Sheriff's Office says the mother of a badly beaten autistic boy has been arrested on a fugitive warrant in Pennsylvania and will be charged with child abuse upon her return to Maryland.
The Herald-Mail reports Tuesday that 25-year-old Ashley Barnhart of Hancock was arrested Saturday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Barnhart hasn't been charged yet in Maryland and has no defense attorney.
Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Aaron Vanmeter, was charged July 3 with first-degree child abuse and other offenses in connection with injuries suffered by 9-year-old Dustin Barnhart. The boy was treated for severe head injuries and bruises after emergency responders were called to the family's home and found him unconscious.
Vanmeter's attorney has denied that his client caused the boy's injuries.
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