Dad of missing Washington 5-year-old gets prison time on charges involving other kids
The father of a missing 5-year-old is going to prison on charges related to his other two children, multiple news outlets reported.
Andrew Carlson was sentenced to one year in prison on two counts of child endangerment with a controlled substance on Monday, March 28, KOMO reported. He was given the maximum sentencing.
He had pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this month.
The child endangerment charges come after authorities discovered his daughter Oakley Carlson had not been seen in over a year.
Carlson and Oakley’s mother, Jordan Bowers, were arrested on Dec. 6, 2021, after a welfare check prompted the search for the child in Oakville.
The couple gave police information about Oakley that was “quickly proven to be false and misleading,” according to a criminal complaint. Carlson and Bowers had reported Oakley missing after police contacted them about her whereabouts, the complaint shows.
When police began looking for the missing girl, they discovered that her siblings had been exposed or ingested high levels of meth, KING-TV reported.
“I deeply regret my failings as a father. I haven’t done a lot of things correctly in the last seven years or so,” Carlson said during his sentencing, KXRO reported.
Superior Court Judge Katie Svoboda called the case “tragic” during the hearing and told Carlson it was his job to protect his children as their father, the outlet reported.
Bowers pleaded not guilty to the endangerment charges, and her trial is set for April 19, KING-TV reported.
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office said Oakley was last seen alive on Feb. 10, 2021, KCPQ reported. The child was in foster care from when she was 7 months old until just before turning 3, NewsNation Now reported.
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Dad of missing Washington 5-year-old gets prison time on charges involving other kids."
