Charge dismissed against grandma accused of endangering Bullitt toddler

Darcy Costello | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Grandmother of found Bullitt County girl says 'it's a miracle' Beth Campbell, grandmother of the found Bullitt County girl, says she knew her dog Penny wouldn't leave her side.

A misdemeanor charge against the grandmother of Charlee Campbell, the child who went missing for nearly 36 hours earlier this month, has been dismissed, but the Bullitt County sheriff says he intends to bring it back.

A court clerk confirmed Thursday that the judge dismissed the case for procedural reasons after Beth Campbell's attorney argued the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office had no legal authority to charge her with endangering the welfare of a minor.

A voicemail left for Lorie B. Casey, the Shepherdsville attorney representing Beth Campbell, was not immediately returned. Campbell's husband declined to comment when reached by phone.

Background: Bullitt sheriff: Grandma was using meth before girl went missing

A misdemeanor charge can be brought by a peace officer when it's committed in the presence of an officer, she wrote in her motion to dismiss.

"There are no circumstances that would lead anyone to conclude that the alleged crime was committed in the presence of anyone in the Bullitt County Sheriff's office, nor does the citing officer allege the crime was committed in his presence," Casey wrote.

Campbell was accused of using meth before Charlee, a toddler, went missing. Charlee was found less than a mile from where she lived with her grandparents, under the custody of her grandfather Ronnie Campbell.

Sheriff Donnie Tinnell called the judge's ruling and the motion to dismiss a "technicality" when reached by phone Thursday. He plans to get a warrant through the county attorney's office and bring the same charge against her, he said.

"I think she needs to answer in court," Tinnell said. "I think she jeopardized that child's life. .... I think her bad habit made something bad happen."

Bullitt County Attorney John Wooldridge previously said his office would not present any charge to a district court judge until "investigation is complete." On Thursday, he confirmed that the case had been dismissed without prejudice, meaning the same charges could be brought back in the future.

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"Until that time, our office and the sheriff's policy should be that they do not comment on pending cases because it really is a questionable procedure and we believe that it's not appropriate," Wooldridge said.

Tinnell has publicly speculated that Charlee was not in the woods near where she was found for the entire time that she was missing.

He said earlier this month he thinks Charlee may have been in someone's home during the search — which included several sweeps of the steep, wooded hill between her home and the house where she was found. Investigators also searched using dogs and thermal imaging cameras in that area.

Officials say Charlee was found when she walked up to a porch on Roy Layne Road in Lebanon Junction, about nine-tenths of a mile away from her home. She was covered in ticks and dehydrated but had no obvious serious injuries.

The homeowner who recognized her, Wayne Brown, said his family knew who she was because of her "Frozen" pajamas.

"I'm convinced that God led her to our porch," Brown previously told the Courier Journal. "I don't know why me. It could've been anyone. But no one will convince me otherwise — I believe with all my heart that it was the Lord, Jesus Christ, who brought her up on that porch and let her be found by us."

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.