Latest News, WV Press Videos

Parkersburg official charged with child endangerment

Parkersburg News and Sentinel photo by Gretchen Richards Ashley Flowers, Parkersburg city finance director, was arraigned on two charges of felony child endangerment after allegedly leaving her twin 22-month-old children alone in a car outside Grand Central Mall for about 50 minutes Wednesday. She is shown conferring with her attorney, Matthew Devore.
Parkersburg News and Sentinel photo by Gretchen Richards
Ashley Flowers, Parkersburg city finance director, was arraigned on two charges of felony child endangerment after allegedly leaving her twin 22-month-old children alone in a car outside Grand Central Mall for about 50 minutes Wednesday. She is shown conferring with her attorney, Matthew Devore.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Ashley Flowers, Parkersburg city finance director, was arrested Wednesday evening on charges of child endangerment, officials said.

Flowers, 30, of Parkersburg was arrested on two counts of felony child endangerment outside Grand Central Mall, according to a criminal complaint filed in Wood County Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

Flowers was arraigned by Magistrate Robin Waters at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday and had failed to post a bond of $100,000 for the two felony charges as of 11:10 p.m.

Flowers is not permitted to have contact with her children as of a court order on Wednesday night.

The children were in the custody of child protective services on Wednesday evening.

Flowers allegedly left her twin 22-month-old children unattended in a vehicle parked outside the Grand Central Mall around 8 p.m. Wednesday, the complaint said. Someone called 911 at 7:51 p.m., the complaint said.

The vehicle was unlocked and it was 36 degrees outside when Vienna police officers arrived to investigate the incident, the complaint said.

The twin children were transferred to a heated cruiser, and were crying at times, the complaint said. Vienna police officers arrived at the scene at 8:01 p.m., the complaint said.

Flowers returned to her vehicle at 8:39 p.m. and was placed under arrest, the complaint said.

Flowers was advised not to make any comments by her attorney Matthew Devore on Wednesday night.

“These are baseless charges which are conveniently timed,” Devore said Wednesday night.

A complaint filed with the West Virginia Ethics Commission in January alleged that a flash drive containing text, video, photo and audio files shows Parkersburg Mayor Bob Newell had an affair with Flowers resulting in misuse of municipal money, time and property.

Both Newell and Flowers have denied violating the state’s ethics act.

To read more from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, subscribe here. 

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

And get our latest content in your inbox

Invalid email address