North Dakota boys hide a kid’s bike as a prank. Then his mom allegedly decides to drive her SUV towards them at 60 mph

A neighborhood prank involving a hidden bicycle quickly escalated into a high-stakes criminal case in eastern North Dakota. Ashley Fay Jerome, a 34-year-old resident of Aneta, is facing four counts of Class C felony reckless endangerment with extreme indifference after authorities say she used her vehicle to terrorize a group of children.

The confrontation, which occurred on Sept. 26, has sparked widespread discussion in the community over where the line between parental protection and criminal conduct should be drawn.

According to Globe, the chain of events began early Saturday evening in the small city of Aneta. A probable cause affidavit filed in Nelson County District Court reveals that a group of neighborhood boys had taken Jerome’s son’s bicycle and hidden it. Although the children eventually returned the bicycle, describing the incident as a “prank,” the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

It took an adult witness intervening to de-escalate the situation

A witness told Nelson County deputies that Jerome appeared extremely upset when she first found the children. She initially drove up to the area and began screaming at the group, causing at least one child to flee into a nearby home in tears. However, the confrontation did not stop with the verbal retaliation.

The situation escalated dramatically on Thayer Avenue near Second Street around 7:00 p.m. A bystander sitting on a nearby street corner reported seeing Jerome’s SUV accelerate rapidly down the road directly toward three children.

Court documents state that she turned on her vehicle’s high beams as she drove toward the group, with witnesses estimating her speed at 55 to 60 mph based on the sound of screeching gravel.

An adult witness at the scene intervened by stepping directly in front of the children to shield them from the oncoming vehicle. According to investigators, Jerome swerved around the man and slammed on her brakes, stopping just four to six feet away from the terrified children. Another witness present during the near-miss said they genuinely believed the SUV was going to hit them.

When the intervening adult grabbed the passenger-side window of her car to confront her, Jerome allegedly yelled that she “didn’t want to talk to him” before speeding off. The affidavit further notes that she continued to circle the immediate neighborhood for another 15 to 20 minutes. The grandmother of one of the children ultimately reported the incident to the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.

When confronted by law enforcement, Jerome offered a different account of what happened that evening. She explained to deputies that she had been at work when her son came to her in distress. According to Jerome, her son claimed that another child had not only taken his bicycle but had also threatened to physically assault him.

She said she was acting out of emotion

Jerome admitted to leaving her workplace to look for the group, saying she sped up when she spotted them because she wanted to find out what had happened. However, she strongly disputed the witnesses’ estimates of her speed, telling investigators that she believed she was traveling between 35 and 40 mph rather than 60 mph.

Deputies noted in their report that Jerome appeared remorseful during the interview. She emphasized that she acted out of intense emotional distress because she believed her son was being bullied by the neighborhood children.