LOMPOC, Calif. (Scripps News San Luis Obispo) — The mother of a missing 9-year-old Vandenberg Village girl, who was arrested last week on a felony charge unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance, will be released from custody, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Ashlee Buzzard, 40, has been behind bars at the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria since her arrest on Friday .

Ashlee Buzzard appears in court on Nov. 12, 2025. (Scripps News San Luis Obispo)

A criminal complaint filed by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office charged Buzzard with false imprisonment in connection with a Nov. 6 incident involving a man identified as Tyler S. Brewer.

Brewer, a local paralegal, told Scripps News San Luis Obispo he knew Buzzard years ago and contacted her to assist wit

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