A Lancaster County man and woman were collectively charged with 40 offenses this week after police said they physically abused their six children with baseball bats, neglected several animals and kept their home in deplorable condition.
On Aug. 6, Elizabethtown Police were dispatched to a NAPA Auto Parts on 200 block of West High Street for an incident involving child abuse.
Police spoke with the first victim, an 11-year-old girl, who said 35-year-old Ashley Dishart-Christensen chased her with a wooden baseball bat before striking her in the buttocks. The girl ran to NAPA Auto Parts from her home on the 300 block of West High Street.
The 11-year-old girl told investigators Dishart-Christensen regularly disciplined her with a wooden bat, saying the woman had hurt her “a lot of times.” The girl also said Robert Christensen, 39, frequently gets angry at her.
Police noted they previously interviewed the 11-year-old girl in 2019. In that interview, the girl said Christensen struck her with a piece of a car carrier, resulting in her going to the hospital. The girl also said Dishart-Christensen told her not to speak about the incident.
An officer then spoke with Christensen about how he disciplines the children. Christensen said he makes the kids put their “nose on the door,” which prompted the officer to make a ChildLine referral.
Between Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, police interviewed six children who are cared for by Dishart-Christensen and Christensen at the Lancaster County Children’s Alliance.
The second victim, a 4-year-old girl, told police Christensen had struck her and three of the other children with a baseball bat on multiple occasions.
The 4-year-old said Christensen last attacked her with a bat while she was on her bunk bed.
A 6-year-old girl who was interviewed said Dishart-Christensen “beats me a lot” when she gets in trouble. The girl then described Dishart-Christensen striking her with her hand and a baseball bat until her buttocks felt like “dying.”
Christensen also punched the 6-year-old girl in the stomach so hard it caused her to vomit, police said.
A fourth victim, whose age was not included, denied being harmed by the couple. However, in January 2022, the child went to school with red marks on her neck and told her teacher she was strangled the day before.
The next child interviewed by investigators, a 7-year-old girl, said Dishart-Christensen does not give her food unless she bounces her head on the floor.
The couple told the sixth child, an 8-year-old boy, they did not want him to attend the interview because “CYS is coming for us,” police said.
Following the interviews, a Children and Youth Services worker received emergency custody of the children.
Just after 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, investigators executed a search warrant at a home on the 300 block of West High Street, where the six children live.
Officers said the home was extremely cluttered and difficult to maneuver, and it smelled strongly of ammonia, feces and urine.
A bedroom where the girls lived had bunk beds with air mattresses, one of which was damp with what appeared to be urine. The whole room smelled of urine.
The home’s only bathroom was missing parts of the floor and had a severely discolored bathtub.
Investigators recovered five baseball bats and a field hockey stick from the home as evidence.
Two dogs, five cats and a rabbit were also found in the home. Some of the animals were found in crowded cages surrounded by paper towels stained with urine and feces. At least one of the dogs had no access to food or water.
Dishart-Christensen, on Nov. 10, surrendered the animals to an SPCA officer and said she did not take them for regular veterinary care. The animals were taken to SPCA facilities for further evaluation.
One of the dogs and three of the cats had severe fleas and required various medications.
On Nov. 21, the Elizabethtown Code Enforcement Unit condemned the West High Street home after conducting an investigation.
Both Christensen and Dishart-Christensen are charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of children, four counts of simple assault, two counts of cruelty to animals and six counts of neglect of animals.
Investigators also charged Christensen with three counts of aggravated assault; Dishart-Christensen was charged with one count.
Christensen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1. Dishart-Christensen’s will take place the following day.
As of Tuesday, Christensen is incarcerated in the Lancaster County Prison after being unable to post his $175,000 bail.
Dishart-Christensen was released from custody on Tuesday after posting her $150,000 bond through a bondsman.
Last month, Christensen was charged with 18 felony counts, including kidnapping, after he took his six children and fled from police in an attempt to avoid Children and Youth Services.
He was later apprehended in Jackson Township, Cambria County. The children, aged 11, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 4, were unharmed.