The Christian County Grand Jury returned several indictments Friday, including three on various charges of child abuse.
The jury indicted 24-year-old Cherylese Nicole Horns, of Hopkinsville, on charges of first-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or under, first-degree wanton endangerment, and abandonment of a minor. The charges come from November 25 after being arrested for alcohol intoxication in a public place.
Christian County Sheriff’s deputies said they were called to her residence after jail staff requested a welfare check. During the welfare check, officers found Horns’ daughter home alone just after 11:00 a.m., with a window partially open and several kitchen knives laying around. While at the residence, authorities said a male subject advised them that Horns had been with him all night drinking and smoking.
The jury also indicted 29-year-old Ashley Nicole Maxwell and John Travis Maxwell, both of Hopkinsville, on charges of endangering the welfare of a minor, first-degree possession of meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges stem from a December 4 investigation by the Hopkinsville Police Department. Officers report they went to the home where both lived following a report of a child not being taken care of; when they arrived, meth and a small scale were located in a bedroom. The couple shared the bedroom with their six-year-old daughter, and the drugs were in an open area within the child’s reach.