Missing ‘at-risk’ girl Melodee Buzzard’s mom appears in court after alleged box-cutter standoff

The search for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard intensifies after she went missing last month during a road trip with her mother, Ashley, who police allege held a man captive and switched license plates on a rental car.

The mother of a missing 9-year-old California girl described as "at-risk" appeared briefly in court Wednesday on a felony false-imprisonment charge unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance.

Authorities say Ashlee Buzzard, 35, faces the charge after an alleged incident at her Lompoc home on Nov. 6, weeks after her daughter, Melodee Buzzard, was last seen. 

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that the case is separate from the ongoing investigation into the child’s whereabouts.

Officials began investigating Melodee’s disappearance on Oct. 14, after a school official reported her prolonged absence. When questioned, deputies said Ashlee Buzzard failed to provide a verifiable explanation for her daughter’s location and has "remained uncooperative and has not confirmed Melodee’s welfare."

MELODEE BUZZARD DISAPPEARANCE: NEW SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS SHOW MISSING CALIFORNIA GIRL, 9, IN POSSIBLE DISGUISE

Authorities say Ashlee Buzzard remains uncooperative about missing daughter Melodee's whereabouts as authorities continue their search for the at-risk California child. (KKFX)

Tyler Brewer, a court officer who has known Buzzard for years, told NewsNation that Ashlee revealed to him where Melodee was and who she was with, but he remains unsure whether the information was accurate, citing her unstable behavior at the time. He said he believes the child may be in Utah.

Brewer told ABC News that during a visit to Buzzard’s home, she appeared distressed after sharing information she "seemed to regret disclosing," then locked the doors and retrieved a box cutter, preventing him from leaving. He said she eventually let him go, and he immediately contacted authorities.

Brewer described Buzzard as paranoid and mentally deteriorating, saying she’s "a totally different person" from when he first met her.