Woman arrested after refusing to let children leave sleepover, police say

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – A woman in Alabama is facing charges after police said she refused to let two boys, ages 9 and 10, leave her apartment this weekend after a sleepover.

Tuscaloosa police said officers were called to the apartment complex just before noon on Sunday.

Two people who lived in the complex told officers they allowed their children to stay overnight with a neighbor, who was now refusing to allow the children out of the apartment.

Police said Dasha Sharnell Bishop, 23, refused to come to the door for the parents and for the responding officers. The parents and officers said they felt the children were in immediate danger.

Two mental health officers, a Youth Aid investigator, paramedics and the Special Response Team were called as backup.

The Special Response Team breached the front door and brought the children out safely at 3:05 p.m.

Bishop, who had remained barricaded in a back bedroom with the children, was taken to the Tuscaloosa County Jail and charged with felony interference with custody. Her bond was set at $15,000.