Stepmother of found Detroit boy arrested on unrelated charge
DETROIT - The stepmother of a 12-year-old Detroit boy who had been reported missing more than a week and a half ago and was found safe in his father's basement on Wednesday has been arrested on a probation violation related to a misdemeanor gun charge.
Monique Dillard-Bothuell was taken into custody by Detroit police on Thursday evening. She entered a not guilty plea to the probation violation on Friday and her bond was set at $5,000. Her two children have been placed in the custody of Children's Protective Services.
According to the Detroit Free Press, in January, Dillard-Bothuell pleaded guilty to obtaining a pistol without a license. As part of her probation, she was ordered not to possess a firearm. However, police reportedly found a handgun in her home during their search for her young stepson and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Dillard-Bothuell's stepson, 12-year-old Charlie Bothuell V, who is currently in the custody of his biological mother, became the subject of an extensive police search after he was reported missing on June 14. He was found safe in the basement of a condo belonging to his father and stepmother on Wednesday. His father learned that the boy had been found during a live appearance on Nancy Grace's eponymous HLN television program.
Charlie Bothuell IV, the child's father, appeared to be shocked and speechless as Grace told him, "We're getting reports that your son has been found alive in your basement" seconds after he came on air via satellite.
Officers discovered the boy while serving a search warrant on the home as part of their investigation into his disappearance. Sgt. Michael Woody, a spokesperson for the Detroit Police, told the Detroit Free Press the boy had been in another location during earlier searches of the home because police would have found him otherwise.
The basement is actually a shared utility and storage area of a multiple-unit condo, Woody said. Mark Magidson, an attorney for Bothuell IV, told the paper that there is an underground hallway that connects the basements of the various units in the complex. There is reportedly a door on the far end of the hallway which leads outside.
Bothuell IV told Nancy Grace in the moments after he was informed that his son had been found that the Detroit police, the FBI, cadaver dogs and both he and his wife had searched the basement multiple times.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said when police found the 12-year-old he appeared to be hiding behind some boxes and a large plastic drum and he did not announce himself.
Detroit Police Officer Nicole Kirkwood told CBS News' Crimesider that the boy was not barricaded or restrained when he was found. She also said "cereal and soda pop" was found nearby.
The boy was brought to a hospital where he was evaluated and then released Thursday.
Investigators weren't allowing Bothuell V to have contact with his father and stepmother as they focus on circumstances surrounding his disappearance and recovery.
Officer Kirkwood told Crimesider the 12-year-old was reported missing by his stepmother on the morning of June 15, who said the child was last seen at approximately 9 p.m. the night before on the 1300 block of Nicolet in Detroit, where the boy lives with his stepmother and father.
However, the Associated Press reports the 12-year-old's father, Bothuell IV, reported his son missing June 14 and said the boy had been working out at around 9 p.m., went to the restroom and never returned.
CBS Detroit reports Sgt. Woody has said authorities found a PVC pipe and blood in the family's home and that the blood is being tested to see whose it is.
According to the Detroit Free Press, police say they have not ruled out the possibility of abuse.
