By The Chronicle staff
The father of missing 5-year-old Oakley Carlson has pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to two of his other children: Oakley’s 6-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother.
Andrew Carlson had been charged alongside the children’s mother, Jordan Bowers, with one count of second-degree abandonment of a dependent child for allegedly neglecting to give their 6-year-old daughter a prescribed medication, and two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance for allegedly exposing their 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son to methamphetamine.
Carlson pleaded guilty to the two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance during a Monday morning hearing, according to King 5 and KOMO News.
He did not enter a guilty plea to the second-degree abandonment charge, according to King 5 and KOMO News.
A sentencing hearing had not been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.
Bowers has not changed her initial not-guilty pleas to the three charges and is still scheduled to go to trial on April 19. A trial readiness hearing is scheduled for April 11.
Neither Bowers or Carlson yet face charges related to Oakley, though both remain suspects in the disappearance of the 5-year-old Oakville girl.
Timeline of Oakley’s Disappearance and Her Biological Parents’ Court Case
- November 2019: Oakley leaves the care of her foster parents and returns to her biological parents.
- Feb. 10, 2021: The last time detectives with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office can confirm Oakley was seen alive.
- Nov. 6, 2021: A fire was reported at the Carlson’s residence in Oakville just before 5 p.m. Andrew Carlson told dispatchers his 4-year-old (Oakley’s age at the time) had lit the couch on fire with a cigarette lighter and said he had put the fire out himself. Investigators later determined the fire most likely started in the microwave on the kitchen counter — not from the couch, as Carlson had claimed.
- Nov. 30, 2021: The date Oakley’s parents claim they last saw Oakley.
- Dec. 5, 2021: Oakville Elementary School Principal Jessica Swift contacts the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office with concerns about Oakley’s safety.
- Dec. 6, 2021:
Approximately 10 a.m.: An officer with the Tumwater Police Department initiates a welfare check for Oakley and interviews Oakley’s parents in their hotel room.
3:31 p.m.: An officer confirmed Bowers and Carlson left the hotel with their 2-year-old and returned to their Oakville residence.
5:10 p.m.: Bowers is booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail for allegedly obstructing an officer and on suspicion of manslaughter.
9:30 p.m.: Carlson is booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail on suspicion of manslaughter.
- Dec. 7, 2021: Oakley’s sister’s temporary foster parents ask law enforcement about a medication prescribed to the 6-year-old, and law enforcement learn Bowers and Carlson had not been giving the child the medication.
- Dec. 9, 2021: The 72-hour hold on suspicion of manslaughter expires, and that case is closed. Bowers and Carlson are charged with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person for allegedly neglecting to give their 6-year-old daughter prescribed medication for approximately 15 months.
- Dec. 10, 2021: The Department of Children, Youth and Families takes hair follicle samples from Oakley’s 6-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother to submit for analysis. The tests eventually reveal substantial amounts of methamphetamine in both hair follicle samples, indicating the children were exposed to the drug within the last three months.
- Dec. 13, 2021: Detectives complete their search of the Carlson family’s house and surrounding property.
- Dec. 30, 2021: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for the first time. Demonstrators gather outside the courthouse demanding answers about Oakley.
- Jan. 10, 2022: Bowers and Carlson both plead not guilty to second-degree abandonment of a dependent child. Trial dates are set for April 2022.
- Jan. 20, 2022: Deputy Prosecutor Jason Walker submits a motion in Grays Harbor County Superior Court to file amended information adding two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance to Bowers’ and Carlson’s cases, citing results from the hair follicle tests that show methamphetamine in both hair samples.
- Jan. 28, 2022: The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office submits new evidence to the Grays Harbor County Prosecutor’s Office. Based on this evidence, Walker alleges Bowers and Carlson exposed the 6-year-old and 2-year-old to methamphetamine as early as July 1, 2021.
- Jan. 29, 2022: Demonstrators hold a rally outside the Grays Harbor County Jail demanding answers about Oakley.
- Jan. 31, 2022: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for omnibus hearings. The judge schedules a hearing for Feb. 7 to add two new charges to both Bowers’ and Carlson’s cases based on the new evidence from the sheriff’s office.
- Feb. 7, 2022: Bowers and Carlson each plead not guilty to two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance.
- Feb. 22, 2022: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for omnibus hearings. A 3.5 suppression hearing to determine whether statements of guilt made by Bowers can be used as evidence in trial is scheduled.
- March 14, 2022: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for trial readiness hearings. Carlson pleads guilty to two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance.
