Pueblo West couple arrested on several counts of child abuse after boy reports injuries to school

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) - Arrest records have revealed some graphic details surrounding the arrest of a couple from Pueblo West. They stand accused of several counts of child abuse. Documents explain that school officials noticed a young boy with physical injuries, who told them what happened, sparking a five-month-long investigation before their arrest.

*WARNING: The following details and images are graphic in nature*

33-year-old Ashtan Ashley was charged with seven counts of Child Abuse for Knowingly or Recklessly Causing Injury, while 27-year-old Ryson Ashley was given the same seven charges, with an additional eighth charge of Child Abuse due to negligence.

It all stems back to October 10, 2024, when the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) was called out to Liberty Point Elementary School after staff reported visible signs of abuse on the young boy.

Arrest records say the boy had told authorities that the night beforehand, October 9, he was playing with neighbors outside, before Ms. Ashtan Ashley called his name multiple times to come inside. Once the boy did go inside, he says she grabbed him by the shoulder and allegedly spanked him with a belt repeatedly, with Ryson Ashley, allegedly joining in on it.

The child continued on to say they were hit in the head and face, and also allegedly showed the deputy injuries to their arms, back, shoulder, and leg. A cut was noted near the boy's left eye, while his right eye was swollen, with blood in his nose.

A deputy examining the boy that morning at a hospital said they could see the outline of a belt, specifically on the boy's back and left arm. There were also numerous marks where it appeared that fingernails were dug into the boy's skin on his shoulder.

The boy later told detectives that the only reason the two stopped 'whooping' him, was because they were getting tired.

The arrest documents explain that one of the school's administrators went over to the boy that morning, saying 'I know in the past you told me some of these things were accidents, but were they really accidents?' to which the boy shook his head [no]. The school employee asked 'Why didn't you tell me?' and the boy said 'Because [the Ashley's] told me they didn't want to get in trouble.

The boy went on to claim that he had been kicked out of the house at night after the alleged beating. He explained that he was forced to take a frigid ice bath that caused his teeth to chatter, before being told to sit outside in just underwear before then being told to come back in. The ice baths were something that had happened in the past as well.

Eventually, the boy says that they fell asleep on the floor of Ashtan and Ryson's room. Upon waking up he says he took another ice bath and then was kicked out, this time with clothing on.

He began walking to school, and then took a break, before resuming realizing he would be late. That's when a nearby neighbor stopped in their car to ask the boy if he needed a ride. That woman, Annie Ronquillo, tells KRDO13 today that she's shocked to learn that the boy had been the alleged victim of abuse.

"You know, I was worried somebody else besides me might pick him up. And he was fine. When he got in the car, he seemed like he was okay." explained Ronquillo, thinking back on the October morning last year. "Relieved for me that he's been, you know, removed from that situation." she later added.

When the boy got to school, he says he told administrators what had happened and then he was taken to the hospital. After speaking with detectives and being treated at the hospital, the boy was then placed in the care of a foster family in Pueblo West.

Detectives then shifted their focus to the Ashley's, finding Ryson and speaking to him that same day at the home.

Detectives poured through the house collecting evidence, finding numerous pieces of clothing in laundry hampers or in different rooms throughout the residence, with 'suspected' blood on them. Four belts were collected, along with bloody tissues, and clothes that were still very damp or wet, consistent with having taken an ice bath in them.

Documents say that Ryson was told by Ashtan that the boy got in trouble on the night of October 9, and she had to hit him with a belt. Ryson says when he got home from his night security shift around 6:17 a.m. on the 10th, he noticed the boy had a red mark or line under his left eye. Ryson said the line was small and he ultimately decided to keep the boy home from school because he didn't want him to get made fun of, or bullied by other kids.

Deputies noted throughout the documents, that Ryson repeatedly claimed not to have been home at the time of the alleged beating by Ashtan, however, the boy's timeline of events placed it as happening earlier than when Ryson would have left for his work shift that started at 10 p.m.

Ryson added that Ashtan has never used a belt as a form of punishment in the past as they both usually discipline the boy by putting him in time out or by taking privileges away.

He said that Ashtan told him she caught the boy lying about stacking chairs in the backyard to try and hop over their fence, and that she swung at him with the belt trying to hit his butt, but he moved and she was unsure where she hit him. He first claimed she only hit him once with the belt, but later said it was twice.

Ryson would later concede that she may have swung more than two times, and may have overdone it.

When asked about the ice baths, Ryson said they 'stopped doing it because the school said it was borderline child abuse.' Ryson explained that they would fill up bowls in the kitchen with ice water and dunk their face in it and see how long they could hold their breath. He said they did that as a substitute since their backyard pool had 'popped'. He added it was an activity they would do on the really hot days in the Summer.

Ryson stated that with his overnight work shift, he slept and then woke up at 1:30 p.m. and panicked after realizing the boy was gone, saying it was unlike him to leave the house, but suspected it was because he was bored with his privileges taken away.

Ryson told detectives that he had previously had contact with the El Paso County Department of Human Services while living in Colorado Springs because his family would call in welfare checks and claim he wasn't taking care of the boy, which he argued was because his family didn't like the women he dated.

He also admitted that 'a few years ago' he had a PTSD moment that led to him attempting suicide, landing him in a mental health facility for a week, as he was drunk and dealing with a divorce. He says he had to fight with Fountain Police and El Paso County DHS to get the boy back into his custody after that.

Ryson later explained that has has upwards of 22 pills he has to take every day, 11 in the morning and 11 at night.

It wasn't until October 11 that detectives were able to speak with Ashtan. She admitted to 'swinging' at the boy after seeing the chairs stacked outside, and explained that she felt so bad that she apologized to him and they watched a movie and 'cuddled'. When asked what movie they watched, Ashtan replied 'I don't know, probably the PJ's'.

After the movie, she said 'the [boy] fell asleep on the floor. Um I, I, don't know. We fell asleep. I talked to Ryson probably that morning. I gave Ryson a kiss and then I went to work.'

Detectives noted that her timing of the events that night, including when she saw the chairs stacked outside, was not consistent with Ryson's.

She went on to affirm that Ryson didn't take part in the 'whooping' two days prior and denied that they had him take the ice bath, which was something they did a long time ago but said they had stopped, claiming she cuddled with the boy instead.

Ultimately the evidence proved to be enough, upon review by Child Protection Team members, and deputies, to issue the charges to Ashtan, and Ryson for child abuse.

The two have both posted their $2,500 bonds since their arrest and are due in court separately before the end of the month.