Kentucky mom arrested for abandoning six children at Walmart
Columbia KY Aug 28 2019
A Somerset woman accused of abandoning her six children at a Walmart in Columbia, Ky., has been arrested.
Amanda Jardinez, 34, was located Saturday night in Pulaski County and was taken into custody by Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Marcus Harrison and Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey Jones.
PCSO Major Jeff Hancock said Jardinez was taken into custody at a local business without incident after law enforcement received a tip as to where she was located.
Jardinez was charged with six counts of abandoning a minor and wanton endangerment in connection with the incident in Adair County.
The Columbia Police Department say Jardinez entered the Columbia Walmart on Friday night with six juveniles, two of which were her children. She told the children to locate a Walmart worker and then started to leave the premises, according to a police report.
Three of the children attempted to follow Jardinez out of the store, but she made them go back inside and then left with James Holovich and Holovich’s 5-year-old daughter, according to a police report.
The warrant served against Jardinez states that the children were from the ages of 6 to 11, and were in her care.
She was also charged with an outstanding Rockcastle County warrant for failure to appear in connection to an assault charge.
According to the citation from that case, Jardinez caused minor injuries to an unnamed adult male – scratches on his neck, face and arm – when the two met at a gas station for a custody exchange.
“… [The male] was coming to pick up his children from the above offender. The male reported that the offender wanted money, but he didn’t have any to give her, so she started fighting him and punching him …,” the citation states.
Jardinez is currently being held in Rockcastle County on a $3,000 bond for the warrant and a $20,000 bond for the Adair County charges.
As of press time, Holovich has not been reported as having been located. According to court documents, he also is a Somerset resident. He is currently wanted on an active bench warrant from Pulaski District Court for failing to appear on traffic charges.
The investigation is still ongoing with law enforcement agencies and social services.
