As the Daily Counter has been following a Domestic Violence Victim, Ashley Kidwell, we began taking a look at how her abuser has and is using the system that is supposed to protect victims against them. We will also be taking a look at those who aid these abusers in their continuing victimization.
In this case Bradley Kidwell, 44 years old, a convicted felon fixed his sights on Ashley Danielle Kidwell (then Yarber). As stated in previous reports Ashley had tried to leave her abuser many times, but due to the financial abuse and fear she has suffered was halted every time.
Her abuser would use a method called “love bombing” at times to keep giving her the idea he will change or had changed. this method is used by many abusers. It gives the victim the sense that their abuser is willing to try and that they really do care about their victim. This form of abuse is one of the more widely used tools of an abuser. Bradley Kidwell, would alternate between physical abuse and love bombing, and then resort to the mental torture of Ashley in order to keep her compliant.
This sort of abuse over time changes the way an individual’s brain works, they begin to suffer from a sort of Stockholm Syndrom. The victim still realizes the abuse is not normal but they begin to think it is ok, and even begin to think they can accept the abuse.
In Ashley’s case, it was simple for Bradley Kidwell to target her, due to her kind and loving nature. Ashley stated she only married him because she had gotten pregnant and thought that would change his abusive nature. It did not. Ashley states that she didn’t know what to do anymore. But when Bradley began to threaten their 2 young children she knew she had no choice but to leave and seek help.
Ashley was forced to leave without her children under threat of her life and ran out of the home with nothing but the clothes she had on. Sistercare of Lexington began aiding her and filed for an Order of Protection from Bradley Kidwell.
As a long back and forth in Legal Documents began Ashley was forced to relocate from 3 different safe locations, due to Bradley continued harassment and stalking aided by her own mother, Jaime Domingo Russell.
Jaime Domingo Russell, Ashley’s mother over the years has aided in the abuse of her daughter, Ashley. Ashley informed us that she would always seek aid from her mother in leaving her abusive husband. Jaime would allow Ashley and the children to stay for short periods of time. During that time Jaime gave her daughter non-prescribed drugs to make her sleep. Then she would tell her daughter that she needed to make the marriage work for the sake of the children.
As we continued talking to Ashley and asked her what sort of pills her mother gave her she told us sometimes her mother would give her Adderall and other pills that Ashley said she didn’t know what they were. We asked her what would happen after she took these pills and she replied she would fall asleep or simply become compliant to instructions.
We wondered why a mother would aid in the abuse of her daughter? As we found out, Jaime Russell seems to rely on her abusive son-in-law. Ashley told us that every time her mother had issues she would reach out to Bradley. It was also discovered that Jaime suffered mental depression after an accident that took the lower half of her left leg. Jaime is also facing 3 charges in Richland County Court, 2 for driving without a license, and a 3rd for lying to law enforcement. The most bizarre thing here is when Ashley told us her mother had plastic surgery done to make herself look more like her daughter.
A person would imagine that with all this Ashley could simply get the help she needs and her abuser would face justice. This is not the case by any means.
Bradley Kidwell has learned the system very well, as most abusers do. He has others such as Jaime do his bidding keeping himself clean.
Since Ashley left Bradley in early April, he had reported her missing and even kidnapped repeatedly, Officers were shown documentation by Ashley as to her having a no-contact order. Yet Bradley was allowed to continue his stalking of her using law enforcement. We will note here that this is not necessarily the fault of the officers or department, this is the fault of the laws in South Carolina. Many Domestic Violence Victims call for stronger laws to protect them. Many do not even realize that a No Contact Order is not an Order of Protection. These vary by large degrees as to how Law Enforcement Officers can deal with a situation. Depending on which one is issued depends on if officers can arrest the violator or simply tell the victim to notify the court system.
Another tool in Bradley Kidwell’s bag of tricks is his mother. Rhonda Kidwell Silver out of Charlotte North Carolina. Rhonda has deep pockets and has repeatedly simply thrown money at her son’s problems. Rhonda works for a company called MedA/Rx as the Senior Vice President of Operations.
We asked Ashley if her mother in law knew of the abuse and she stated “Yes, but she does not want to admit that her son is a monster. She hides it from people as she is a standing member of society in Charlotte.” Ashley told us of an instant when she was changing clothes and her mother in law walked in and saw the bruises on her body and simply walked back out.
It’s hard to believe but this is not an unusual story in Domestic Violence Cases. Lots of times family members from the abuser aid in such situations.
Most recently, Ashley was handed over to her abusive husband by Lexington County Sheriff’s Deputies who ignored the fact they were informed of the Domestic Abuse. This story will be told in another article titled “Failure to Protect”.
Concerned friends contacted different law enforcement agencies including the FBI to aid them in returning her to safety.
Ashley contacted this reporter at 3:42 AM from the Lexington Medical Facility on July 1st. to pick her up from the facility, due to the fact she could see her abusive husband pacing outside in the lobby. Upon arrival, I was informed that she had already left with her mother. Ashley again called from Bradley Kidwell’s cell phone at 6:38 PM and left a voicemail stating that her husband threw her phone out the window and that she was completely confused as to what was going on, then the phone call ended.
3 days later Ashley was able to dial 911 and was taken to Providence Hospital in Columbia. She was diagnosed with a concussion and mutliple cuts and bruises on her body. Ashley requested them to do a drug test as she felt she had been drugged, the test showed she had Adderall in her system.
The side effects of this drug are loss of appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, stomach upset/pain, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, fever, nervousness, and trouble sleeping may occur.
According to Addictioncampuses.com Adderall can kill a person if one is given an overdose of it. Adderall is a controlled substance and it is illegal to share this drug with anyone due to the dangers and effects it can cause.
Richland County Deputies arrived at Providence and took a report from Ashley pertaining to what took place. They advised her that if Bradley or her mother attempts to contact her to call 911 and not to answer any calls of messages from them.
In covering this story we began to realize that laws in domestic violence cases are not sufficient to truely protect victims from their abusers. That Law Enforcement Officers have not received proper training or that in some cases do not have proper procedures in place to be able to protect victims. We do realize that we are only showing one story in this series but as we have been told this one story is the same from many victims.